If you didn’t make it to the Lincoln Square Apple Fest, don’t worry! You can make delicious apple creations at home. The autumn season is full of beautiful produce and wonderful flavors, especially apples and winter squash. Using apples in savory recipes is a great way to add a bright sweet or tart taste and crisp texture.
I love pairing apples with pork and poultry such as chicken or turkey, combined with “sweet” spices like cinnamon or allspice for a lovely warming flavor profile. Apples are perfect raw in a salad or cooked to bring out notes of caramelization. As far as variety, I have a lot of luck cooking with Sugar Bee and Honeycrisp varietals. If I’m looking for tart flavors in a pie or sauce, I go for Granny Smith and just about any apple is perfect raw.
Two of my favorite savory dishes to use apples in are grilled pork chops with an apple purée. I give the purée a savory note by caramelizing the apples with onions and using some resinous herbs like thyme and rosemary. The second being a Japanese style curry in which Granny Smith apples are charred on the grill along with garlic, ginger, and onions. Once cooked with the curry paste, this creates a deep and complex flavor.
In this turkey burger recipe, the apples bring great flavor, texture, and help persevere moisture in the patties. As with any burger the condiments and toppings can always be fun and different, I used fresh sliced apples and sautéed spinach. Always try to use what you have on hand and make adjustments to the recipe to fit your needs and tastes.
Apple Turkey Burgers
Yield: 4-6 patties
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
1lb ground turkey
1/4 cup apple, small dice
1/4 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 cup onion, small dice
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice or 5 spice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into wedges
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice or 5 spice
1 tablespoon neutral oil
Salt
4-6 burger buns, toasted
Toppings of your choice
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl containing the ground turkey, add all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
3. Toss the sweet potato wedges with spice, oil and season with salt. Place into the oven to roast.
4. Begin heating the butter in a sauté pan.
5. Form the turkey mixture into patties, season the patties with salt and pepper. Sear the patties on both sides in the sauté pan.
6. Move the patties to a tray and place into the oven. Cook until the internal temperature is 155 degrees F.
7. Remove the potatoes once they are tender and browned.
8. Build your burgers and serve with the potato wedges.
Try out this recipe or look for some other ways to use apples in conjunction with savory dishes. For more apple flavors, come and join us for The Chopping Block's hands-on Date Night: Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 25 at 6pm. You'll learn how to make:
- German Beer-Cheese Spread with Soft Pretzels
- Wiener Schnitzel (Breaded Veal Cutlet) with Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon
- Black Forest Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow-Kirsch Filling
