Fig-glazed turkey burgers with sweet onion jam

There is something so summery about a homemade burger and fries. Plus, I recently came around to liking sweet potatoes. I never liked them in the typical sweet, marshmallow-y preparations, but it turns out that I love them made into oven fries and dipped in spicy ketchup (which I make by simply combining ketchup and Sriracha). The sweet-spicy combination is addictive, so I am always looking for new burger and sandwich ideas to serve with sweet potato oven fries. When I saw these fig-glazed burgers with caramelized onions on The Bitten Word, I added them to my menu plan for the next week right away.

My main deviation from the original recipe was to use turkey instead of beef. We no longer purchase standard commercial beef, plus I just think that poultry lends itself especially well to fruit accents. I also used sweet onion instead of red onion because I happened to be shopping at Trader Joe’s, and they only had red onions in bulk bags that week. Either would be equally tasty, but the red onions in the original are a little prettier. By the way, I thought Trader Joe’s would be a prime place to find fig preserves, but they did not have this item. I had to go to the regular grocery store, where I found it in Bonne Maman brand. I apologize for the low light in this picture – this was a late night dinner for us, so there was no natural light left. This recipe was just too good not to share, though. It’s just a great combination of flavors on a burger. If you’re looking for an unusual spin on a burger, try this one!

Fig-Glazed Turkey Burgers with Onion Jam

Adapted from: The Bitten Word, originally from Southern Living

ingredients

Onion Jam

• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
•  1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Burgers    

•  Cooking spray
•  3/4  pound  ground turkey
•  1/2 tsp. dried oregano
•  salt and pepper
•  1/4  tsp.  garlic powder
•  1 ½ Tbsp.  fig preserves
• 2 Muenster cheese slices
• 2  hamburger buns, toasted

instructions

1. First, prepare onion jam: Heat olive oil in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions, sprinkle with salt, and saute about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden. Reduce heat to low; stir in sugar, vinegar, and thyme. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until onion is very tender. If onions become too dry at any point, add a little water. Set aside, covered.

2. While onions are simmering on low, prepare burgers: Spray grill pan or grill with cooking spray and heat to medium-high.  Form turkey into 2 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.

3. Grill patties. On my cast-iron grill pan indoors, they take about 7-8 minutes per side, or 15 minutes total. They would probably cook a little faster on an outdoor grill. Once the patties are cooked through with no trace of pink, use a basting brush to brush them with the fig preserves. Let cook about 30 seconds, then top with cheese; cover and grill 1-2 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve burgers on buns with onion jam. I also added a little bit of mayonnaise to the bottom buns, but this is totally optional.

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