Turkey Cakes

I love Thanksgiving: a day to contemplate how God blesses us; a day to be with family, or friends, or both; a day for prayer; and of course a day of delicious and bountiful food. Oh, and one more great thing about Thanksgiving – leftovers.

I’ll admit that I’m a little picky when it comes to leftovers. I do not generally like leftovers to be in exactly the same form as the original meal. So, I’m not crazy about lunch the next day being slices of turkey with cranberry sauce and slightly warmed up succotash, mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side. But when you re-purpose leftovers to create something new? That I love.

There are so many ways to enjoy leftover turkey – turkey enchiladas, turkey soup, turkey salad, and more. But my absolute favorite is turkey cakes. I’m not alone in loving this dish. Our 5-year-old son Peter dubbed them “splendid,” at dinner tonight and said he wanted to have them “for a million days.”

If something is good enough for 5-year-old to have for a million days straight, it might be a recipe you’ll want to try!

Serves 4, with two turkey cakes each

1 egg
3 cups of roasted turkey, cut into small pieces
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Crack an egg into a large bowl. Beat slightly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with clean hands until thoroughly combined. Use a ½ cup measuring cup to measure out 8 portions of the turkey mixture. Flatten each into a patty about ½ inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours. (While you can cook the turkey cakes immediately, they will hold their shape better if chilled.)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the turkey cakes in the melted butter for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.

Serve immediately, ideally topped with whole cranberry sauce.