Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Sausage Burgers with Cilantro Raita

This recipe, like most of the recipes I create, started with a sale.  Fresh Market had its chicken sausage half off with some pretty amazing-sounding flavors so I took advantage!  I knew the buffalo chicken would need something cooling.  A regular blue cheese dressing was out because it was already in the burger.  I LOVE raita and had all of the ingredients for it on hand.  Match made in heaven!

Raita

1/2 medium cucumber

2 teaspoons ground cumin, dry toasted

1 cup plain yogurt

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Burger

• 1 1/2 lbs. buffalo blue cheese chicken sausage, removed from casing
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot Sauce (optional)
• One tomato, sliced
• 4 buns, toasted

Yields: 4 burgers

1. Combine raita ingredients.  Cover and set in the refrigerator.
2. Combine chicken sausage, onion and if using, hot sauce.  Score with the side of your hand to make four evenly-sized burgers.  Make them a little flatter than you would for a beef burger because they will plump a bit.
3. Cook in a skillet between medium and medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
4. Drain burger.  Place on bottom bun, top with raita, tomato and top bun.  If you have lettuce, add that, too.

Results: This burger had just the right amount of spice for me.  I like medium spicy... hot enough to make your nose run a little but not enough to make your eyes water.  But Rashan could have had it much spicier.  We both loved it!  I served it with a side of blue corn tortilla chips that we dipped into the excess raita.  This is a quick and easy meal that would also be great for cookouts with people avoiding beef or pork.