Cobb 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. Originally published July 27, 2009.–Renee Schettler Rossi

Cobb Turkey Burger

• Quick Glance
• 25 M
• 25 M
• Serves 4

5/5 - 1 reviews

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IngredientsUSMetric

Directions

• 1. 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.
• 2. 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.
• 3. 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).
• 4. 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

• To toast a bun on a grill, grill pan, or griddle, split the bun open, place it cut side down on the grill, and grill until light golden brown, about 10 seconds.
• Getting the perfect melt is easy to accomplish, I use a basting cover, an inexpensive aluminum dome that short-order cooks use in diners. It looks like the lid of a saute pan, except that it is domed to fit over the burger. A basting cover allows just enough clearance, meaning the cheese doesn’t touch and stick to it cot the cover can still hold in the heat to melt the cheese beautifully.

Recipe Testers Reviews

Elie Nassar

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.