Breakfast Turkey Sausage

I am officially broken of my "have to have cereal every day for breakfast" mindset. I ate baked oatmeal every morning for months, but have been trying to change it up a little this summer. Now that I'm back to work, I definitely need something that will keep me full through the morning, and these were pretty good at doing just that. You could have them on a breakfast sandwich, which I am planning on doing soon, or just on their own like I did with this breakfast. The original recipe source, Elly Says Opa!, shows a really good looking sandwich made from them! She used ground chicken, which you could also try!

Breakfast Turkey Sausage

from Elly Says Opa!

1 lb ground turkey or chicken
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 to 3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
heaping 1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
~3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
2-3 tsp olive oil

Lightly mix all ingredients together until the herbs/spices are well incorporated – make sure you don’t over mix!
Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts, and then make 4 (or 2, for 2-oz. patties) patties from each part. (I made about 14 patties. They are super sticky when you are forming them--spray your hands with cooking spray to prevent them from sticking to your hands and so you are able to make better shaped patties out of it.)
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp. of oil. Put 1/3 or 1/2 of the patties (depending how big your pan is and how much space your patties take up) into the pan and cook about 2 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Repeat with the next 1-2 batches, adding an additional teaspoon of olive oil per batch.

*Ground chicken breast will make a leaner patty, but dark (or a mixture of white and dark) meat will make a tastier patty. Nutritional information (also from Elly Says Opa):

Using all white meat (per 1 oz. patty, using 3 tsp. oil): Calories: 40.9 / Fat: 1.2g / Saturated Fat: 0.2g / Carbs: 0.6g / Fiber: 0.1g / Protein: 6.6g

Using dark meat (per 1 oz. patty, using 3 tsp. oil): Calories: 52 / Fat: 3.6g / Saturated Fat: 1.0g / Carbs: 0.6g / Fiber: 0.1g / Protein: 5.2g