Caramelized onion turkey burger

The first time I made hamburgers, I ended up with meat sauce.

No joke.

The burgers were too thick, the heat was not hot enough, and they split apart into a mess of hamburger chunks. In a fit of rage I stabbed at the meat with a spoon and we had sloppy joe's. 

Moral of the story? A mess isn't always a mess. A detour is a-ok when the final result is a delicious meat sandwich.

We are on the cusp of summer bbq season, so it's about time I shared a good ole meat sandwich recipe with you.

Turkey burgers have a reputation for being dry and bland. That is, if you don't know what to put on 'em. Not to toot my own horn, but these are damn good. Caramelized onions? Check. Mustard aioli, aka fancy mustard mayo? Check. Fresh arugula? Check. Oh, and it also has cheese. 

So if you're having a summer bbq this year, be sure to try adding turkey burgers to the menu. Grab that recipe below! 

Caramelized onion turkey burger (serves 4)

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon sherry

• 1 lb. ground turkey

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 1/3 lb. thinly sliced gruyere cheese

• 1/2 cup mayo

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon whole grain dijon

• 2 cups arugula

• 4 hamburger buns

Start by caramelizing the onions until golden. This can take 20-30 minutes, but it's fully worth it! Heat a large pan with a swirl of olive oil on medium-low heat. Add the onions and stir them occasionally until they begin to darken in color and soften. At this point stir the sherry into the onions. Continue cooking until completely golden, and reduce the heat/take 'em off the heat if they're burning. Remove the onions from the pan, set aside.

To make the patties, mix together the ground turkey, garlic, paprika, breadcrumbs, egg and plenty of salt and pepper. Divide the mix into four even sections, and form each of the patties.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To cook the patties, heat an oven-safe grill pan on medium-high. Add the burgers to the pan. Cook each burger on one side until browned (not just brown, but like crispy beautiful burger brown). Flip and brown on the other side. Top the burgers with the gruyere slices and place the entire pan in the oven. Remove the burgers from the oven once the cheese has melted and the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the burgers are finishing up in the oven, make the mustard aioli by combing the mayo, dijon mustard and whole grain mustard in a bowl. Toss the burger buns in the oven until toasty.

To serve, smear the buns with mustard aioli, top with a burger, a big scoop of caramelized onions and a big heap of arugula. Chow down!