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Tater Tot Turkey Burger

Tyler Essary / TODAY
Servings:
4
RATE THIS RECIPE
(1)

Chef notes

This Thanksgiving-inspired burger from Clinton Hall in NYC combines all your holiday favorites into one tasty dish. The juicy turkey burger, gravy, cranberry relish and stuffing are great on their own, but it's the crispy tater tot waffle bun that take this burger over the top.

Ingredients

Burger
  • Four 6-ounce turkey burgers
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tater tot waffle buns
  • Oil, for frying
  • 2 pounds tater tots, defrosted if frozen
  • Nonstick cooking spray
Gravy
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
  • 8 ounces turkey stock
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) flour
Stuffing
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 Spanish onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeño
  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
  • 4 4 potato rolls, cubed, preferably Martin's
  • Turkey stock
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
  • 3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Orange-cranberry relish
  • 2 ounces cranberries, cooked
  • 1/2 naval orange, peeled and quartered
  • tablespoons (2 ounces) sugar
To serve
  • 2 ounces watercress
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

For the turkey burgers:

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper and cook on a grill or in a cast-iron skillet until well done.

For the tater tot waffle buns:

1.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot. Fry tater tots lightly until golden brown. Place the cooked tots in a bowl and crush until they're broken apart. 

2.

Preheat a waffle iron and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

3.

Separate the tater tot mixture into eight 4-ounce portions. Working one potion at a time, place the tater tot mixture in center of waffle iron. Cook each until well done and crispy.

For the gravy:

Add the butter to a pot and melt over medium heat. Add flour and stir continuously for a few minutes to form a roux. Add turkey stock and stir continuously until gravy coats the back of a spoon is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the stuffing:

1.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2.

In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeño and scallion.

3.

Place the cubed rolls in a bowl. Pour the pepper and onion mixture over the bread. Then add the poultry seasoning and enough turkey stock to moisten the bread (you want it moist, but not soggy) to the bowl. Stir in the cheddar cheese.

4.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, mix well and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

For the orange-cranberry relish:

In a food processor add cranberries, oranges and sugar. Purée until smooth.

To assemble:

1.

Place a tater tot waffle bun on a plate and top with a few spoonfuls of stuffing. Dip a turkey burger in the gravy and place on top of stuffing. Add 1 tablespoon of the orange-cranberry relish.

2.

In a bowl, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over watercress and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.

Top the burger with the dressed watercress and cap with another tater tot waffle bun. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make the other burgers and serve.