Sausage breakfast sandwiches can be minefields of fat and calories. Making your own turkey sausage patties keeps things in the healthy range, without sacrificing flavor. Here, ground dark-meat turkey combines with onion, fresh sage, fennel seed, brown sugar, and a bit of garlic powder—all the things we love about pork breakfast sausages—to mingle with fried eggs on toasted English muffins.

  • Yield: 4 burgers
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 35 mins
  • Active: 20 mins

Ingredients (12)

  • 1 1/3 pounds ground dark-meat turkey
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil, for grilling
  • 4 large English muffins
  • 3 tablespoons (about 1/3 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 large eggs

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, onion, sage, fennel seed, brown sugar, and garlic powder. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Use your hands to gently combine. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and shape each into an even 1/2-inch-thick patty. Using your thumb, make a shallow indentation in the center of each patty (this helps the patties cook more evenly). Transfer the patties to a plate and set aside.
  2. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high, about 375°F to 425°F. When the grill is hot, use tongs to grab several layers of wadded paper towels, dip them in vegetable oil, and smear the grill pan’s ridges or outdoor grill’s grates (alternatively, you can apply cooking spray directly to the pan or grates).
  3. Use a metal spatula to transfer the turkey patties to the pan or grill (close the lid if it’s the latter) and cook, undisturbed (don’t be tempted to press down on the patties!), until grill marks appear on the bottom, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the patties, close the grill (if using), and cook until the patties are cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F, about 6 minutes more. During the last few minutes of cooking, toast the English muffins. Transfer the patties to a warmed plate and tent loosely with foil for 5 minutes. Spread the English muffins with 2 tablespoons of the butter, sprinkle with a little salt, and set aside.
  4. While the patties are resting, fry the eggs. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Break in the eggs and fry until the whites are set and starting to brown around the edges and the yolks are still runny, about 4 to 5 minutes (no need to flip the eggs—the whites should be fully cooked).
  5. Top the English muffin bottoms with the turkey patties, add the eggs, and close up. Serve immediately.