Turkey Burgers With Portobello Mushrooms And Mashed Turnips

This is about as low budget as it gets. 

Let's get to the food porn, shall we?

It had been a while since I'd had turkey, which is why I went for it instead of beef. This was my first time trying the portobello 'buns', and every site I checked said to remove the stems before grilling both sides of the caps, but to save the stems to use in future recipes. I figured that since I had radishes in my fridge, I might as well chop both the stems and the radishes and mix them in with the ground turkey!

This would be my side for the evening: Mashed Turnips, only this time with curry, turmeric, and rosemary. While this entire dinner only took about 20 minutes to make, this was the most time consuming part; having to peel round turnips without scraping off half your hand, then slicing them small enough so they will tenderize quickly took longer than expected.

For spices, I added a pinch of sea salt, black pepper, roasted red pepper flakes, onion, and garlic. Along with the radishes, I wanted a little zing to these burgers.

And for some reason, I always forget how cold my hands get mixing refrigerated meat!

Cooked everything in bacon fat to add another flavor to it all. Bacon fat brings something amazing out of mushrooms, I have to say. When I started heating the pan, there was something lingering on the burner that started smoking a little, and even after I wiped everything clean, I still kept the pan on 'low' to avoid burning. The only thing I would change about this meal is the length of time I let the mushrooms cook-- I'll do much longer next time!

Two larger burgers with a few smaller ones for leftovers. Turnips are mashed with enough leftover for another meal. See what I mean about getting your money's worth with this one?!

Oof. Good stuff!

I'll admit, while I loved every part of this dinner, I ate fast. Why? Because I had about 15 minutes to eat, clean up, put on clothes, and race out the door to go see "The Avengers".

Totally. Worth. It.

Besides... this one was a winner, definitely to be repeated. I could hork it all down comforted by the knowledge that I'd have another chance to savor it.