Hot Wing Turkey Burger

As promised from yesterday, here is the AMAZING turkey burger we put on top our Homemade English Muffins. Wow. I have been a long-time fan of Rachael Ray. I watch her ALOT. And I even own one of her cookbooks. But I haven't made very many of her recipes. I'm not sure why that is. But last week, I saw this on her show and I KNEW I had to make it. She created this turkey burger that was supposed to mimic the taste of hot wings. Oh wow.  It was one of those times when my mouth was watering at the television screen. And boy was she right! This is a keeper. So yummy. Especially on those homemade muffins. Wow wow wow. You gotta try this one for sure.

So this hot wing turkey burger twist on the old reliable beef burger, got me thinking. What other unusual burgers are out there? And where did the burger start? Well according to to my very wise internet sources, They think the first burger was WAAAY back in the 1200's with the horsemen of Genghis Khan. They ate ground meat as they rode on their horses. I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say it didn't sound too appetizing. 

Fast forward to this day and age. We are hamburger fanatics. People are making burgers out of anything from ground beef, to things like ostrich and seafood. Hmm. And the most outrageous thing I found was that there was once a burger sold for $499. This beast weighed in at 185.8 pounds and it took 12 hours to prepare! Oh my! No wonder the restaurant named it the "Absolutely Ridiculous Burger." 

Those are my thoughts on burgers in general. But my thoughts on this Hot Wing Turkey Burger are just. "Wow" and "Yum." Thank you Rachael Ray!

HOT WING TURKEY BURGER 

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery with leafy tops, finely chopped

1/4 c. onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken

2 T. fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

Salt and pepper

2 T. butter

1/4 c. hot pepper sauce

1/2 c. blue cheese crumbles (I skipped on this for my husband's preference)

4 sandwich-size English muffins, toasted

4 deli slices cheddar cheese

1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

1/4 cup pickle relish

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, one turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the skillet. Mix the turkey, dill and poultry seasoning into the vegetable mixture; season with salt and pepper. Form into four patties. Wash your hands after handling the raw poultry.

In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until firm, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then stir in the hot sauce. Add the patties to the sauce, turning to coat. Top each with some of the blue cheese and a cheddar slice. Tent with foil, turn off the heat and let stand until the cheese is melted.

Top each muffin bottom with some lettuce, a patty, some relish and a muffin top.

sources: www.wikipedia.com and www.rachaelray.com