Fried Egg Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato “Buns”

Whole 30 day one is in the books, and we are makin’ our way through day two right now! I think I’ll have less of those Whole 30 symptoms that other people experience (like the “hangover” and super tired/pissy days at the beginning) because I was doing paleo for several weeks before this, so my body is used to this style of eating for the most part. I will say, however, that the fact that honey is off the table is a bit of a strug. I sweeten my coffee with honey each morning, so the unsweetened coffee hasn’t been my fave.

BUT! Powering through!

When you make delicious food (liikkkeee ^^^^^) during Whole 30 and paleo, it really doesn’t feel like a sacrifice in the slightest. I can promise you that if you make this burger, you won’t even be thinking of the foods that you aren’t supposed to eat!

So…this sweet potato “bun.” I use the word bun very lightly here, hence the quotes, because the only bun-like qualities the sweet potato has is the fact that it sits at the bottom of your burger and it feels like a bun because of it’s hearty carb-ness.

I was surprised how little I missed the bun here when I subbed in the roasted sweet potato slice. I think this adds way more to the burger than a traditional bread bun would. It adds a level of earthy sweetness, is more filling than a bun would be, and gives the burger an overall heartiness.

Let’s talk about this burger and all of its delicious layers in more detail! On the bottom, we have a perfectly roasted, soft sweet potato slice. Roasted veggies in general, but especially roasted sweet potato, are what dreams are made of. Some type of magic happens in the oven when you roast vegetables that just turns them into the yummiest little morsels of food EVA.

On top of the sweet potato, we have a CRAZY simple homemade roasted garlic mayo. If you’ve never made your own mayo before, I highly recommend it. It takes basically no effort and less than two minutes. If you don’t want to make your own, just get a whole 30 approved mayo and add your own roasted garlic – BUT, I’m tellin’ you…homemade is so dang easy.

On top of the mayo, we have a small handful of crisp, peppery arugula. This brings so much freshness to an otherwise rich and hearty burger. KEY.

On top of that we have our burger. Juicy, flavorful – simple seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. We buy 93% ground turkey, so there is a decent amount of fat in there, which brings lots of flavor and juiciness to the patty.

To top it all off, we have a perfectly cooked over easy egg! When you slice into the burger, the runny egg yolk drizzles down into the burger and other toppings, coating everything in the most delicious “sauce.” Which is hard to beat. Runny egg yolks are bomb, man.

One thing I’ve learned from eating paleo is that delicious substitutes for non-allowed items are KEY. Examples: instead of pasta – spiralized veggies (sweet potatoes are my favorite – zucchini are my second). Instead of rice – cauliflower rice. And now I have a third substitution that I absolutely love: instead of burger buns – roasted sweet potato slices!

If you are currently scoffing at me…I don’t super blame you because I was once a scoffer at these same things. I was never the biggest fan of spiralized veggies or cauliflower rice until recently when I started being more intentional in the way I cook them and add flavor. Plain sautéed zucchini noodles or steamed cauliflower rice ain’t gon cut it, yo.

For example…reuse pans for different layers of flavor. If you sear a chicken breast in your pan, cook the veggies or cauliflower rice in the same pan. Add ghee (or butter if not whole 30 or paleo) instead of olive oil. Use lots of yummy spices and seasonings. Use flavor boosters like garlic and shallot. Get nice color on them in a hot pan but don’t cook them until they turn mushy.

If you cook them right and add the right flavors, you truly won’t miss the pasta/grains/whatever else you are subbing in for. I actually find myself craving the spiraled veggies and cauliflower rice more than the grains and pasta. They taste just as good and they make you feel way better!

Okay, I’m stepping off that rant train now. To sum it up: veggies are #bae.

And so are these burgers ^^ 😍.

Fried Egg Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato “Buns”

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 burgers 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 6 slices
• 20 oz 93% lean ground turkey*
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• A few cups baby arugula
• 6 eggs
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper

For the roasted garlic mayo

• 1 cup extra light tasting olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 head garlic, cloves removed but NOT peeled

Instructions

For the sweet potatoes and roasted garlic

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice your sweet potato into 6 slices, place the slices on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasonings into the sweet potato until all slices are evenly coated
3. On a sheet of aluminum foil, add your unpeeled garlic cloves, toss the cloves with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and close the aluminum foil around the garlic to form a sealed little pouch
4. Roast the sweet potatoes and garlic in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping the sweet potatoes over half way through. When the 20 minutes are up, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and place the garlic back in for 5 more minutes, or until the cloves are very tender when pierced with a knife.
5. Let the garlic cloves cool for a bit, and then squeeze them out of their peels. Set aside for the roasted garlic mayo

For the burgers

1. In a bowl, add your ground turkey, garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper
2. Form into 6 patties (about 1/3 cup each) and set aside
3. Heat some olive oil in a large, non stick skillet over medium – medium high heat. When hot, add your turkey burgers and cook until they are no longer pink in the middle.
4. In the same skillet, add some ghee (or butter if not whole 30/paleo), crack your eggs into the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Add a lid on top of your skillet and cook the eggs until the whites have set but the yolks are still runny (meaning the whites don’t jiggle but the yolks are still very soft when you press lightly with your finger).

For the roasted garlic mayo

1. In a wide mouth mason jar, add your olive oil, lemon, salt, and roasted garlic cloves that have been removed from their peels. Crack your egg and let it sink to the bottom of the oil. Using an immersion blender (or stick blender), place the blender at the very bottom of the mason jar, turn it on, and when the oil mixture turns white like mayo, slowly move the immersion blender upwards towards the top of the jar until the entire mixture has turned into the consistency of mayonnaise that you prefer and the garlic has blended in fully.

To assemble

1. Start with a roasted sweet potato slice, spread on some garlic mayo, add a small handful of arugula, a turkey burger, and top everything off with a soft fried egg!

Notes

*My grocery store sells ground turkey in 20 oz boxes. If it’s easier for you to just buy a pound, just do that and make one less burger.

Nutrition info accounts for 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic mayo on each burger

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 burger
• Calories: 307
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 183 mg
• Fat: 24 g
• Carbohydrates: 7 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 19 g
• Cholesterol: 72 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, make sure you Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy burger recipes? Check these out:

Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burgers

Turkey Burger Lettuce Wraps

Salmon Burgers with Dill Caper Yogurt sauce