Pork & Turkey Sausages or Burgers

Homemade sausages without casings, fillers, or mystery ingredients. Equal parts lean pork and turkey get blitzed in a food processor with garlic, paprika, black pepper, and a pinch of ground cloves, then shaped into sausage links or burger patties.

The food processor does the heavy work, grinding the meat smooth and blending the seasonings evenly throughout. You want a uniform paste, not chunky bits. This gives the sausages a firm, snappy texture when cooked rather than crumbly ground meat.

Ground cloves are the unexpected spice here. Just a pinch adds a warm, slightly sweet undertone that’s classic in European sausage-making. Combined with paprika and garlic, it gives these a flavor that rivals what you’d find at a good butcher shop.

Pro Tips

• Wet your hands before shaping. The mixture is sticky and clings to dry skin.
• Dry frying (no added oil) works well because the pork fat renders as it cooks. A non-stick pan helps.
• Don’t flatten sausages while cooking. Pressing them squeezes out the juices and dries out the meat.
• These freeze beautifully. Shape, lay on a parchment-lined tray to flash freeze, then bag them up.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds for an Italian-style sausage flavor.
• Mix in fresh chopped sage and a grating of nutmeg for a British banger profile.
• Shape into small meatballs and simmer in tomato sauce for a pasta topping.