Cooking Diaries of a Mom

A few nights ago we had burgers. I used ground Turkey, instead of beef. They turned out really well. I mixed in some sea salt and pepper in the turkey and then formed half a patty, laid a slice of fresh mozzerella on top and then topped with another half of a patty. I stuck them on the grill over medium high heat for about 7-8 minutes per side and then 4 minutes per side. I pushed down on them each time I flipped to make sure the turkey was cooking ALL THE WAY since it is a poultry and not a beef, which you can eat practically raw!

They turned out very tasty. We topped them with ketchup, mustard and tomato slices and served with a side of green beans.

The original recipe is below:

Stuffed Mozzarella and Chili Paste Hamburgers
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

2 pounds ground chuck
Sea salt, preferably gray sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh Mozzarella
Chili Paste, chili flakes or anything hot
1 loaf good crusty bread, cut into 4 sections

Preheat the grill. In a bowl, mix the meat. Form 4 (3-ounce) patties by using a scoop. Push them down and make little indentations in the middle to hold the flavors. Place a chunk of mozzarella and drizzle some chili paste or chili flakes on top of the mozzarella. Add a good twist of black pepper. Take another 3-ounce scoop of meat, make it flat in your hand and place right on top of the other half.

Take your fingers and just seal the 2 patties up and refrigerate until you are ready to grill.

Meanwhile: Split the pieces of bread, and pull out some of the soft center to make a hole for the burger. Place the bread face down on the grill to toast.

Place the burger in the bread, and top with your favorite condiments.