bozone beers, turkey burgers w/ homemade beer cheese sauce & baked yam & sweet tater fries

i'm quite certain this holds the record for, in fact, the "messiest" turkey burger i've ever created.  maybe this statement has something to do with the addition of the homemade beer cheese sauce i prepared......hmmm?  regardless, it sure was a tasty dinner for a relaxing friday evening w/ my man.  

we were celebrating a belated wedding anniversary and enjoying a little peace and quiet, during a short, weekend stay at the beautiful meriwether ranch in southwestern montana (complements of our dear friends, wells & renee).  these burgers & baked sweet tater & yam fries, served up w/ some ice-cold bozone ipa's, proved to be the perfect complement to a relaxing night in!

recipe: serves 3-4

ingredients

burger ingredients
~1/2 lb. ground lean turkey breast
~1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 egg, beaten
a bit of binder (i used 6-8 rice crackers, ground)
dash of worschetershire
dash of dale's sauce
fresh garlic, minced
fresh thyme, chopped
evoo
s&p
3-4 english muffins, grilled or toasted
*burger toppings of your choosing

mix all burger ingredients together and let marry for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.  form into 3-4 patties and grill on a charcoal grill.  place atop a toasted english muffin and top w/ your fave burger toppings.

*we used homemade beer cheese sauce, sautéed cremini mushrooms and yellow onions, crisp butter lettuce and avocado

"steak" fries ingredients

1 large yam, thickly cut

1 large sweet tater, thickly cut

evoo

s&p

ancho chili powder

fresh thyme, chopped

mix fries w/ all remaining fry ingredients (minus the fresh thyme leaves), and place on a foiled baking sheet.  bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flip and back for an additional 15-20 minutes until you achieve desired crispiness.  toss w/ fresh thyme and serve alongside turkey burgers.

pour some cold beers, light a fire in the fireplace, sit your booty on the comfy couch and dig in!  

steelhead burgers w/ avocado spread & micro greens

so it was a pretty typical saturday afternoon...i was doing a little pinterest.com browsing and gathering ideas for what to make for dinner later.  one of my "pins" that sparked my curiosity, was one i'd pinned  a few weeks back.  it was a pic of a salmon burger, and so i thought, yes...i am going to give my first honest attempt at one of these most delightful creations. :)

recipe: serves 2 (generously)

burger ingredients
steelhead (a type of trout but salmon would be an awesome substitute), ground in the food processor
scallion, finely diced
fresh garlic, minced
egg, beaten
fresh cilantro, chopped
panko breadcrumbs
lemon zest
dash of fish sauce
dash of ground roasted ginger (i did't have any fresh ginger on hand)
cracked black pepper & salt

combine all burger ingredients, and let sit in the fridge for a few hours.  form into 2 thick patties (do not mash down), and sprinkle each side w/ zatarran's blackened seasoning before throwing on the hot charcoal bbq.

avocado spread ingredients

ripe avo, slightly mashed
non-fat, plain greek yogurt
pinch of serrano pepper, de-seeded
fresh lemon juice
fresh cilantro, chopped
dash of cock sauce
dash of ancho chili powder
cracked black pepper & salt

combine all avo spread ingredients and refrigerate until burgers are ready.


assemble each steelhead burger by topping each side of a toasted whole-grain english muffin (or bun of your choice) w/ the avocado spread, some micro greens, thinly sliced red onion and a fat, juicy patty.  cut in half and dig in!  baked yam fries w/ spicy ketchup & mustard were served as a side.

p.s.  my husband got up a couple times in-between bites to rinse his paws.  his exact words were, "you know it's good when you have to make a few trips to the sink."  needless to say, he was a big fan of dinner tonight. ;)

p.p.s.  my husband grilled the burgers and toasted the buns to perfection!!