These Turkey Burgers taste great when served with sweet potato wedges. Find out how to make them below.

Lean meat alternatives

I originally came up with this recipe in my third year at university. A new academic year gave me the chance to get even more experimental in the kitchen and with all the stresses that final year brings I was determined that I would keep my health and weight in check.

It was my sister who first suggested to me that I tried turkey mince in my cooking. My sister is a big fan of slimming world and it's one of their recommendations. Simply swap beef mince for turkey mince and you're cutting out a whole host of calories. With a pack of mince in my fridge I wanted to come up with something a bit more exiting rather than using it in a spaghetti bolognese. So, instead I made Turkey Burgers!

Unfortunately it seems everyone now knows that turkey mince is much leaner than beef mince and it is rising and rising in popularity. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that this also means the price has risen. Just a year ago a pack of turkey mince set me back just under £2. Today it will cost you more like £3. Ironically if you want extra lean this costs you even more!!! Even though they’ve taken fat out! Work that one out.

Because Turkey Burgers are made with turkey mince instead of traditional beef mince it means you can experiment with flavours much more. Thai turkey burgers are popular all over the internet but this recipe is a little bit different.

These are inspired by the southern states of the USA. They have a smokey paprika flavour and are served with sweet potato wedges. BBQ sauce or mayonnaise wouldn’t feel out of place served as a condiment should you choose.

The subtle warmth that the paprika and cayenne brings means that the turkey mince is still very much the star so if you ever needed convincing to swap beef mince for turkey mince this is the recipe to try!

The recipe

Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

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Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Ingredients

For the burgers
500 g Turkey mince
4-6 Spring onions
1 large clove of garlic
2 teaspoon paprika
1.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the wedges
2 large sweet potatoes
Oil preferably spray
Black pepper and salt to season

Instructions

Chop the sweet potato into wedges.
Place in an oven tray and spray lightly with oil.
Season the wedges generously with black pepper and a little salt, toss in the pan and place in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6.
These will take a total of 45 minutes and should be turned after half an hour.
Whilst the wedges are cooking prepare the burgers.
Slice the spring onions finely and place in the bowl along with the garlic, crushed.
Add in the paprika and cayenne and stir so the flavours are combined.
Finely add the turkey mince.
Mix the spring onions and seasoning together in the bowl by hand until the flavours are evenly distributed and the mince has broken down.
Separate the mixture into 8 balls.
In your hands turn the balls into round flat patties and place on a sheet of baking paper.
Once you have 8 burgers all even in size, cover and place in the fridge until the sweet potatoes only have 10mins of cooking remaining.
In the last 10mins of the sweet potatoes cooking time place a griddle pan over a high heat. (If your pan isn’t non-stick spray a little oil over its surface.)
Once the pan is really hot place the burgers directly into the pan.
Leave them where they fall and cook for 5mins on high until a crust has formed.
Turn the heat down and let the burgers cook until you can see the turkey mince cooked halfway up the depth of the pattie.
Once the underside has cooked, flip the burgers over and turn the heat back up high.
To ensure a good char on this side press them into the griddles grooves.
Cook on high for a further 5 mins until the burgers are cooked through.
Serve alongside the potato wedges while still piping hot.