On Thursday the weather here was wonderful (relative to early April in Michigan, of course), high 50's, clear sky, no wind. Which gave us the opportunity to pull the grill out of the garage and make some burgers. Lauren suggested turkey, so I went to Food Network and found a recipe:




Burgers:

• 1 large shallot (or medium onion), finely chopped (1/4 cup)
• 3/4 of one medium red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (not labeled "all breast meat")
• 1 block (5-6 ounces) extra-sharp Cheddar (or your favorite block cheese), cut into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
• 4 hamburger or Kaiser rolls

Mayonnaise:

• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

Mix the turkey, salt, pepper, olive oil, onion and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Turn out turkey mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper on a baking sheet and divide into 8 equal mounds. Pat 1 mound into a 4-inch patty and top with 2 pieces of cheese, then put a second mound on top, patting it onto the other patty to seal and shape into a single patty. Stick your wax papered tray of patties in your freezer for 20 minutes while you cook your sweet potato fries.

To make the mayonnaise and assemble the burgers: Puree the tomatoes with water, vinegar and salt in a blender or mini food processor, scraping down the sides as necessary, then blend in the mayonnaise.
For a thicker, more pimento cheese like mayonnaise mixture, add everything at once and blend/pulse on high speed for about 2 minutes, then refrigerate until the last minute. For a thinner, more mayonnaise like mixture fold the mayonnaise in by hand.

I found the sweet potato fries through Google, at the website Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 - 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes (about 2-3 large sweet potatoes)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).

Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.

Place the sweet potatoes into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

Fire up the grill, and let it heat to about 450 (medium to medium-high). When you flip the potatoes for the last time, throw your freezer firmed patties on the grill for 5-6 minutes on the thicker side (because you probably won't make the two patties even), then flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Split some buns, spread your mayonnaise, plate your burgers and enjoy!

The burgers were wonderful, but I erred on the side of thinness with the patties. There just was not enough burger for the bun, which probably had something to do with me only using a single pound of ground turkey, and still trying to make four patties.

The fries could have been crispier, but I don't think they would ever get to French fry crispiness unless I truly fried them. The best bet here is to make sure you give the fries plenty of room to lay flat on your baking sheet.