Wild Turkey Breakfast Sausage

[CaNINE]

I turned this year's Toms into 15 pounds of quality breakfast sausage using this recipe from Steve Rinella.  I wouldn't hesitate to serve this for dinner with a simple cream gravy made from the pan drippings.  Great way to spread that bird over many meals throughout the year! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=LlVoDc0GyGg

Wild Turkey Apple Sausage
2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey legs (or a mix of legs and breast), cut into 1˝-inch cubes
14 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 large onion, diced
2 medium sweet and tart apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 to 2˝ tablespoons packed brown sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon

Freeze the turkey meat and bacon on a baking sheet for 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the apples and continue to cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, spread in a thin layer, and let cool in the refrigerator.

Grind the turkey and bacon into a large bowl set over a large bowl of ice. Add the cooled onions and apples, the sugar, thyme, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Mix well with your hands. Pinch off a small bit of the sausage mixture and cook in a little oil in a skillet to test for seasoning. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Form patties with a slightly wet hand. I like to make them 3 inches in diameter because they’re easy to throw on the grill or in a pan, but you can make them any size you want. Preheat a cast-iron pan over medium heat and put a little oil in the pan. Working in batches, sear the sausage patties until browned on both sides and cooked throughout, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Note: To freeze, stuff sausage into poly meat bags in ˝-pound or 1-pound quantities, depending on how many people you typically serve.

[Birdgetter]

Figured I'd bring this back to the top. Season is getting close and I definitely plan on making some of this with the last couple birds worth of meat. Got to get the freezer cleared out for a few more!