Burgers are a pretty personal thing and between patty type and temperature, topping options, and sauces, the choices are pretty much endless. I think most everyone would agree that fries are the perfect companion, though. So today we are talking easy burgers at home and some of the best french fries I've ever tasted--and they're homemade! Remember a few years ago when everyone was buzzing about Gwyneth Paltrow's fries? Well, these are even easier to make and I simply cannot say enough about how tasty they are. Plus there is no actual frying involved.
And that brings me to the "healthy" part of this meal's name. Here are the highlights:
- Jennie-O Seasoned Turkey Burger Patties
- Fresh, healthy toppings
- Perfect oven-baked fries
Now, I am usually skeptical of pre-seasoned foods as well as frozen foods. I feel like I won't like the flavor as is and hate waiting for things to thaw. But I gave these patties from Jennie-O a go without adding seasoning to them. What I loved was that they went straight from the freezer to the grill [pan] and tasted great without my input. 🙂 And even though I don't have an actual grill, I didn't miss out on that front because of the added smoke flavor. When working with poultry rather than red meat, well-done is a must, however, the patties weren't dry!
Now, you might be wondering where the "ish" comes in. Two words: buttered buns. That's my weakness when it comes to burgers. I like to melt a little pad of butter in the same pan I use to caramelize onions or whatever else then toast the buns for a just a few seconds. You could use lettuce in place of bread if you want totally healthy homemade burgers but this is just my take. As for me, I feel ok with the buns since the fries are baked and Jennie-O turkey patties have 65% less fat than regular USDA ground beef. I added some of my favorite toppings (listed below) between the buns and patty and Voila! Healthy-ish homemade burgers & fries. Pictures of the burger-building process are below followed by the french fry recipe.
- Caramelized yellow onions
- Fresh baby spinach
- Swiss cheese
- Mushrooms sautéed with crushed red pepper and garlic
- Pesto
What are your go-to burger toppings? Thanks for reading!
P.S. more turkey goodness here, here and here.
In collaboration with Jennie-O. As always, all opinions are my own.
Easy Restaurant-Style Fries
Ingredients
- 2 large white potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise then slice each piece into ⅓" slices.
- Place on a sheet pan then sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Toss until potatoes are well coated then spread out in a single layer on pan.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Marie, Mamma's Cooking says
Looks delicious! I bake my fries too!