Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Aioli & Sweet Potato Buns

Another turkey recipe?? Come on Dana, it’s THE WEEK AFTER THANKSGIVING AND I’M SICK OF LEFTOVERS! Didn’t YOU just say you were sick of them the other day too??

Yes. Guilty. But then I totally transformed them here into burger form and I’m in love with leftovers again. I have a really short attention span. I like to think its because I have so many ideas going around in my head at one time and I just want to do them ALL. at once. My brother and family joke that I’m like Dory from Finding Nemo. I’ve probably told you that already. Oops.

This is exactly how I felt the day after Thanksgiving…along with most people in the US, I’m guessing. Thank you, Dory. You understand me.

If you’re like most people and have probably eaten up all your turkey leftovers by now, here’s a great burger recipe for ya! Or, if you’re like me and are still up to your ears swimming in leftover turkey, you can totally sub the burgers here for leftover turkey. It’s sooo good. Plus who doesn’t LOVE burgers?? You must not be American or something. (To my international friends: I love you, but you just probably don’t understand the American obsession with burgers. It’s fine, we can still be friends.)

But seriously, I think I’m on to something here with this Cranberry Aioli. Who would’ve thought that mixing leftover cranberry sauce with homemade mayonnaise would be so good…it even sounds like it would be weird. But TRUST me, it’s good. On tons of things like roasted squash, carrots, sweet potato or carrot fries and brussels sprouts! I’ve changed many a skeptic’s mind with my sometimes weird recipe creations. Except that time I tried to make cheez-its waaaay back in the day. From the ingredients on the back of the box. That did NOT go well.

I had the cranberry aioli AND Tessemae’s honey mustard with this burger. Doesn’t it just look divine?? I’m in love with leftovers again. You know what this means…I’ll probably pop an egg on it tomorrow and call it breakfast.

I’m learning the hard way right now that it’s a bad idea to write up recipes before dinner when you haven’t made anything and are already starving. whomp whomp. P.S. – I used the recipe from Practical Paleo for the sweet potato buns and used rosemary and garlic instead of the cinnamon and ginger!

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Aioli & Sweet Potato Buns

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

The BEST post-thanksgiving burgers with sweet potato buns from Practical Paleo and a cranberry aioli!

Dana: Dana

Serves: 4 burgers or 8-12 sliders

Ingredients

For the Burgers:

• 1 lb ground turkey* (or leftover thanksgiving turkey)
• 1 egg (optional, to help bind the meat - omit for AIP)
• 2 Tbsp homemade cranberry sauce
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger
• leaves from 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
• 4 sage leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

For the Cranberry Aioli:

• 2 Tbsp homemade mayo
• 2 Tbsp homemade cranberry sauce
• optional add-ins: zest and juice of one orange slice (about ⅛ fruit), 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1-2 tsp dijon mustard (try out different combos!)

Directions

1. Game time: decide whether you’re grilling, baking, or skillet-ing (cooking the burgers up in a skillet) on the stovetop. Get out your cookware of choice.
2. For the oven: Preheat to 375 F. Grease a large glass baking dish with olive oil.
3. For the grill: heat it up!
4. For a skillet: use a large cast iron and bring it to medium-high heat.
5. Combine all ingredients for the meat with your hands. Form the meat into sliders the size of a small fist. I had 1 ¼ lbs ground meat and it made 12 mini sliders. You could also make 4 larger burgers.
6. For the oven: Place the sliders/burgers in an even layer in the glass dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the juices in the meat run clean and it’s cooked to your liking (cut a little in the middle and see).
7. For the grill or stovetop: cook about 4-5 minutes per side.
8. While the burgers are cooking, make the aioli by stirring together the ingredients until incorporated - simple as that! Serve the burgers with a dollop of aioli on top, sandwiched between two sweet potato buns or on a salad. The aioli goes great with roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, or broccoli!
9. Let the burgers rest for a few minutes before you serve them so all the juices don’t run out!
10. Serve with Cranberry Aioli.

Notes

* If you’re using lean turkey (90/10 or leaner), you should cover the glass dish with foil when baking so it doesn’t lose too much moisture.
- For another burger flavor combination, you could substitute 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar for the cranberry sauce. You could also use 1 tsp garlic in place of the cinnamon and ginger.

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So what’s inside? 11 gluten and dairy-free (paleo) holiday-themed recipes that are easy to make and really freaking delicious. Plus make-ahead tips and tricks to save you tons of time (and stress, and hair-pulling) on the big holiday meal day. You can print out the recipes in a pretty little PDF, so you’re already to go with an entire meal planned out for your holiday! Because everybody loves delicious holiday food, right?? Check it out here!