Fried Turkey Italian Sandwich

This past week, I posted one of my favorite methods to use the legs and thighs from our wild turkeys. When you bone out the meat and run it through the grinder, it turns into healthy, delicious, tender ground meat that you can use for any number of recipes.

After you have ground your wild turkey legs and thighs, you can make all sorts of things with them, including these tasty sandwiches. Images by author.

This one combines the best of two worlds. First, the tender ground turkey legs and thighs get shaped into patties, and then they get breaded and fried until crisp and golden brown — think fried turkey nugget flavor here.

Crispy and golden brown on the surface and juicy and cooked through in the middle, these sandwiches are the perfect way to use your ground turkey.

Heat ½ inch of lard or vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Start with ground wild turkey. I like to make each patty about 8 ounces, and about ½ inch thick. Pour your flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs into separate shallow containers.

Make patties from the ground turkey, and set up a dredge station with flour, eggs and bread crumbs.

After you have your meat formed, use a spatula to gently lift the patties, one at a time, into the flour.

First, coat the patties with seasoned flour.

Coat one side well, and then flip to coat the opposite side. Move the patty from the flour, shaking off the excess, to the egg wash. Flip to coat both sides.

Move the turkey from the flour to the egg wash.

Finally, dip the patties into the bread crumbs to fully coat each side.

Go from egg wash to bread crumbs.

Gently move the breaded patty to the hot oil. Shake on some Italian seasoning blend and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat the process, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. You want plenty of room to flip the patties.

Fry the patties until just cooked through and golden brown.

Fry for six to eight minutes per side, flipping a couple of times, until you have a crisp, golden-brown crust and an internal temperature in the 150-degree Fahrenheit range. Move the fried patties to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Top each patty with a slice each of provolone and mozzarella cheese. Spoon over some marinara sauce.

Move the patties to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and top with cheese and sauce.

Run the pan under a pre-heated broiler until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly.

Run the patties under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the sauce is hot.

Place each patty on a bun and serve immediately.

Don’t Miss: HOW TO GRIND WILD TURKEY LEGS