"Spectacular Side Dish Turkey Sliders" for the Thanksgiving Dinner Burger Challenge

When my good friend Kim from Stirring the Pot announced her Thanksgiving Dinner Burger Challenge, I knew immediately I had to join in and I knew my burgers had to include my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, stuffing! I like my Mom's version which uses turkey sausage, bread, celery, onions and sage. I wanted to incorporate the sausage ingredients and flavors into the turkey burger itself, and since I was using turkey breast, I wanted to make sure it was plenty moist by cooking down the stuffing mixture and adding some grated apple.

Also adding to the moisture is a drool-worthy Lemon-Sage Mayo, I mixed together using sage from my herb garden. To get even more spectacular sides into the mix, I added homemade cranberry sauce, leftover Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Poppy Seeds, and served these sliders (mini burgers are always more fun) on potato rolls for a nod to mashed potatoes. And so there you have them, my Spectacular Side Dish Turkey Sliders. Juicy, messy and full of flavor.

Spectacular Side Dish Turkey Sliders
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 12 sliders)

Turkey Stuffing Slider Patties:
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 leaves fresh sage, minced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of red chili pepper flakes
1/2 cup whole wheat panko or bread crumbs
1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 tart apple, grated (I used a Honeycrisp)
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a medium pan, heat pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and when melted add onion, celery, and garlic and saute until vegetables start to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, fennel, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add bread crumbs and stir well, cooking until breadcrumbs start to lightly brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, place ground turkey and grated apple. Add cooled vegetable mixture to bowl and mix together gently but thoroughly without over-mixing. (Hands work best). Form into 12 small slider patties and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat lightly with olive oil. Cook sliders about 3-4 minutes per side until the sides are lightly browned and the burgers cooked through.

To assemble the sliders:

Prepare potato roll slider buns by slicing in half and toasting in a lightly oiled pan until browned and toasted. Spread bottom buns with Lemon-Sage Mayo (recipe below), and top with a small scoop of shredded lettuce or warmed Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Poppy Seeds (recipe here). Place a Turkey Stuffing Slider Patty on top of shredded sprouts, and garnish with a dollop of fresh cranberry sauce and the top bun. Serve warm with lots of napkins and enjoy!

Lemon-Sage Mayo

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1 tsp whole grain mustard

5 sage leaves, minced

zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp lemon juice

salt & black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Notes/Results: Yes, there is a lot going on in these sliders but it actually all works together--like eating a plate of the best side dishes of Thanksgiving. The burgers turned out to be very moist--I just don't make turkey breast burgers anymore without grating an apple or some zucchini into them, and I liked the texture that the little pieces of cooked onion and celery added. (BTW--if you think the burgers look pink in spots, that is from the apple--I left the skin on when I grated them and the burgers are fully cooked!) These are 2-napkin burgers--I am unable to make a tiny, flat slider, but messy can be fun. ;-) The Lemon-Sage Mayo is really good if you are a sage fan and would work well on a turkey sandwich too. For the cranberry sauce, I just did a basic version--sugar, water, cranberries, fresh orange juice and orange zest, simmered and cooked down on the stove. The Brussels sprouts were a bit of an afterthought but I really liked them, slightly warm on the burger. The potato buns were store bought and tasted great toasted. I was very happy with how these turned out from top to bottom and would make them again.

If you have a Thanksgiving Dinner Burger Challenge inspiration, check out Kim's blog post here for all of the details and you must go take a look at her decadent Sausage-Stuffing Inspired Burgers topped with Baked Creamed Pearl Onions. Yum! Kim will be rounding up the burgers on her blog on December 1st.