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Author: Kenji Lopez-Alt (41 Articles)

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a contributing editor for Cooks Illustrated Magazine, runs a private chef business, KA Cuisine, and writes a weekly column on burgers and food science for SeriousEats.com. He is also an occasional co-host of America's Test Kitchen . Kenji holds a BS from MIT and lives with his wife in Harlem.

Note: Want to read about the creation of this recipe? Check it out here.

- makes four 5-ounce burgers -

Although packaged turkey meat will work, for best results, grind your own meat in a meat grinder. Marmite or Vegemite can be found in the international aisle of most supermarkets.

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, about 6-8 ounces
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 anchovy filet, mashed to a paste (or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste)
1/4 teaspoon marmite
1 pound boneless, skinless turkey thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes.

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and set wrack to upper-middle position. Rub eggplant with olive oil until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap with aluminum foil and set on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until completely tender, turning once, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, remove from foil, and scrape flesh away from skin. Chop flesh until fine purée is formed. There should be about 4-6 ounces of purée.

2. Combine soy sauce, anchovy, and marmite in small bowl with back of fork until homogenous and marmite is completely dissolved and anchovies are smooth. Toss meat with anchovy/soy/marmite mixture until thoroughly coated (if using pre-ground turkey, mix together by hand until homogeneous). Place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die of meat grinder in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.

3. Pass meat through grinder. Combine with eggplant purée. Form into four patties. At this point, follow your favorite burger recipe to cook the patties, making sure to cook them to at least 145°F.