Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers

There's a bakery in my hometown of Groton, CT called the Village Bake Shop. They make the most amazing sandwiches/soups/wraps/pastries in town. Years ago I tried the 'Thanksgiving on a Bun' sandwich, only that day they happen to be out of buns so they served it to me on 8-grain bread...AMAZING! It is now my most favorite sandwich in all the world, and I ALWAYS manage to stop there whenever I'm home, always asking for it on 8-grain bread instead of the bun (to this day I've never had it on the bun). These burgers reminded me of that sandwich, so I was pretty excited to give this a try. I did tweak a few things here and there, most notably; serving it on 12-grain bread instead of the Sesame Seed buns. I spread some Mayo on the bread (don't knock it till you've tried it), and these were capitol D-lish! Like a warm version of my favorite sandwich. I initially wasn't planning on giving Jesse any of this (I made him something else for dinner), but as I sat eating mine, he kept asking for a bite. So, I took one of the patties and cut it up for him on a plate and he loved it. Ate the whole thing...this after he had already finished his own dinner! I've never had turkey burgers before, but these were wonderful, and I will most DEFINITELY be making them again!

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'Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers'

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

1 cup turkey-flavored stuffing mix (uncooked)

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon canola oil

6 lettuce leaves

6 sesame seed hamburger buns, split (or a heavy grain bread)

6 slices jellied cranberry sauce

**1/3 cup turkey gravy, warmed (optional...I used Mayo on my bread)

In a large bowl, combine whole-berry cranberry sauce, stuffing mix and thyme. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties. In a large skillet, cook burgers in oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165 and juices run clear. Place burgers on lettuce-lined buns or thick grain bread; top with a spoonful of gravy (if desired) and a slice of cranberry sauce.