This Cobb turkey burger turns the classic Cobb salad, made with romaine, turkey, bacon, avocado, and blue cheese, into a burger heaped with tempting toppings. Definitely not your ordinary, dry, bland turkey burger.
As Bobby Flay explains, “Cobb salads occupy a delicious middle ground between the decadent (hello, bacon and blue cheese!) and the virtuous (lean turkey, and it is a salad after all).” Here, though, it’s pushed all the way to the decadent edge of the scale when it’s transformed into a burger. Talk about our kinda salad.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Cobb Turkey Burger
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey 90 percent lean
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup) plus more for garnish (optional)
- 4 hamburger buns split; toasted, if desired (see Note)
- 1 1/4 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 large ripe beefsteak tomato cut into 8 slices
- 1 ripe Hass avocado halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 8 slices crisp cooked bacon
Directions
- To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and then whisk in the olive oil.
- Divide the turkey into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.
- Brush the turkey burgers with the oil. Grill the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 5 minutes for turkey. Flip over the burgers. Cook turkey burgers until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes on the second side, topping each one with some of the cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking (see Note).
- Place the Cobb turkey burgers on the bun bottoms. Toss the romaine with the dressing and arrange over the burgers. Top each with 2 slices of bacon, 2 slices of tomato, sliced avocado, and additional blue cheese, if desired. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This Cobb turkey burger is a fantastic change from the regular beef burger. If cooked right, it remains juicy and works well with the romaine lettuce. The dressing is very good with lots of zippy flavors that jazz up the mild turkey, though the recipe makes a bit more dressing than you need.
The “Cobb” motif is represented with crisp bacon, blue cheese, and avocado slices—all welcome additions to turkey, although I did miss the egg part common to most Cobbs. Since there are no fillers or binding agents in the turkey patty, you need to handle it delicately on the grill. A wide metal spatula is very handy here. You also need to judge the cooking time as opposed to relying on the stated time—this is especially true if you’re using a charcoal grill that may have some hotspots. Use a meat thermometer and cook to 160°F.
Originally published June 18, 2018
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Damn, Bobby Flay, this was DELICIOUS! Never thought to use a vinaigrette instead of the usual ketchup and mustard to flavor a burger. I will make this again and again.
Love to hear you had exactly the same reaction as us, Rebecca!