Spicy Turkey Zucchini Burgers

A fun result of posting here and elsewhere about my zucchini surplus is that friends are sharing their best zucchini recipes with me. This one comes from my cousin, Katie Peterson. The burgers are flavorful and moist--they taste like summer. The original recipe came from the cookbook Jerusalem, which must be making the rounds in the food world, as I've seen it mentioned a couple of other places.

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Spicy Turkey and Zucchini Burgers

Source: Katie Peterson via Simply Recipes
Yields approximately 7 patties, depending on size

1 lb ground turkey meat
2 c (scant) lightly packed, coarsely grated zucchini
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 T fresh mint, chopped
2 T cilantro, chopped, tender stems included
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teas cumin
1 teas Kosher salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1/2 teas cayenne (I used a scant 1/4 teas)
3 T vegetable oil

Sour cream sauce:
1/4 c sour cream
1/3 c plain Greek yogurt
1 teas grated lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/2 teas minced garlic
2 teas olive oil
1/4 teas salt
black pepper, pinch

Make the sour cream sauce by placing all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stirring until combined. Chill until ready to use.

In a large bowl place the grated zucchini, sliced green onions, chopped mint, cilantro, garlic, ground cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine. With your hands, mix in the ground turkey until the zucchini mixture is well distributed through the ground turkey.

Use your hands to form 3-4 inch wide patties, placing them on a baking sheet. Note that the patties will be rather wet, so they may be a little tricky to handle.

Heat 3 T vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium. Working in batches, place the patties in the pan. Let cook for about 5 minutes, then flip the patties over and cook for another 5-6 minutes. You want them to brown and to gently cook all the way through. If the temperature is too high, they'll get browned on the outside but the inside will still be raw. So, cook them gently. If the outsides are browned and the insides still aren't done, lower the heat and cook longer.

Once the first batch of patties are done, remove to a paper towel-lined plate while you cook the second batch. Or you can keep the patties warm in a 200F oven. 

Serve with sour cream sauce and enjoy!