The Juicy Goosey Burger

When I was a kid, my mother made the most fabulous burgers. She stuffed 2 thin patties with sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and green onions. Best thing ever. We never had a special name for them, it was just “Mom’s stuffed burgers”.

Fast forward a bunch of years. I move to Minnesota, and find out that I can get something very similar to those burgers on many different menus here! Here in Minnesota, they have a proper name - “Juicy Lucy” or (ugh) “Jucy Lucy”. (Seriously, it hurt me to intentionally misspell a word like that!)

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I want to share my new favorite adaptation of my childhood burger. I call it the “Juicy Goosey” - a turkey based, Thanksgiving version!

This burger is incredibly tasty, and might just be the ultimate seasonal comfort dinner. Unfortunately, photos just don’t do it justice. It’s not a pretty burger!

Juicy Goosey Burger

2 lb lean ground turkey
1 cup leftover stuffing*
1 egg
½ cup cranberry sauce
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
1-1 ½ cup finely grated cheddar cheese*
Leftover turkey gravy
Leftover sweet potatoes - mashed, fries, whatever. (Optional)
6 hamburger buns.

* I am assuming that the stuffing you use is seasoned well. What’s the point of having flavorless stuffing, after all?

If you are using a fairly chunky stuffing, run it through a food processor until finely chopped and/or mushy.

Combine ground turkey, stuffing, egg, and any additional seasoning that you may be using. Use hands to get a really good mix going, making sure that stuffing is evenly distributed and everything is well incorporated. Divide meat mixture into 12 evenly sized balls. (8 if you’d like thicker burgers!). Depending on your stuffing, mixture can be fairly wet - that’s ok!

Flatten each ball into a patty that is roughly the size of your burger buns.

Spread a small amount of cranberry sauce in the middle of 6 (4, if larger) patties, leaving at least ½" border. Top with a sprinkling of green onion, and a handful (about ¼ cup) of cheddar cheese. Place one of the unadorned patties on top of each.

Carefully seal the edges of each burger, making sure that no cheese or toppings peek out.

Grill over low or medium low heat until fully cooked. This is poultry - please cook until well done!

To construct the burgers:

Spread bottom half of bun with extra cranberry sauce, if desired. If using sweet potatoes, arrange fries or a scoop of mashed evenly on top of bottom bun half. Top with burger, and a generous ladling of hot turkey gravy. Crown with top bun, enjoy!

** Yes, I realize that in Minnesota, Juicy Lucys are supposed to be filled with American cheese. Sorry, I firmly believe that cheese should be a milk product, not an oil product, so we're going with cheddar. My recipe, my rules - American cheese makes me feel like my mouth should be on exhibit at Bodyworlds. Ew.

Related posts:

Mushroom Goat Cheese Braid Poutine Eggnog Sticky Buns Stuffed Turkey