Asian Turkey Burgers with Spicy Lime Mayo

We've had a relatively mild winter so far, and can I just say, it's been amazing. Sadly, 2012 seems to have brought frigid weather with it. While I do actually enjoy one or two major snowstorms a year, I don't like them enough to make up for the freezing temperatures that occupy the rest of the days of these winter months. Days like today, when the wind chill made it feel like it was in the teens. Tomorrow doesn't look much better with a "feels like" of 0 to start the day. On the plus side, this weather makes it really easy to justify time under a blanket on the couch either with a book (currently reading Hunger Games, and loving it) or a movie in the DVD player (it was Love and Other Drugs today).

Fringe benefits of winter aside, I'm really longing for warm summer days and everything that comes along with them. At our house, one of those things is burgers. They're strictly grill food here - we pretty much never cook them inside on the stove top, so I associate them with summer. I decided to make an exception to the grill rule for Jessica's Asian turkey burgers though, and I'm so glad I did. These aren't bland, boring turkey burgers - they're flavorful and fun, good enough that we made them twice in one week! I'm not usually a big fan of mayo, but I loved her spicy limo mayo in combination with the flavors in the burgers. I didn't think it was too spicy (a good thing in my book), but you could definitely add more sriracha to up the heat factor. As I've mentioned before, we buy a ton of ground turkey and I'm always looking for new ideas so I'm psyched to add these burgers to the dinner rotation, even if I have to cook them inside for the time being :)

Asian Turkey Burgers
barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 lb ground turkey

4 hamburger buns
spicy lime mayo (recipe below)
tomato slices (optional)

Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the ground turkey and use your hands to gently mix. Divide the mixture into quarters and form each quarter into a patty about 1/2-inch thick.

Set a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers for about 4 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through.

Top the burgers with the spicy lime mayo and tomatoes and serve on toasted buns.

Spicy Lime Mayo
from How Sweet It Is

1/4 cup mayonaisse
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
zest of half of a lime
juice of half a lime

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.