Turkey & Bacon Sliders

I was browsing my favorite blogs the other day & I came across THESE on The Pioneer Woman's website. Holy moly. They looked SO good, I had to make some sliders ASAP!!

Hers are beef, wrapped in bacon & baked on a broiler pan. It was a warm day & I didn't want to turn on my oven so I just cooked the turkey patties on my stove-top grill pan and cooked the bacon in the microwave. (Do you have the Presto Microwave Bacon cooker?? You should!)

We shucked some corn & cooked it up, and sliced some ice-cold watermelon too. It felt & looked like Summer on a plate.

Enjoy! :)

Turkey & Bacon Sliders
Serves 6

2 lbs ground turkey
1 16oz pkg bacon, cooked & set aside (you can snap these in half to make it easier to place them on the sliders, if you want)
6 slices cheese, cut in half (white American, Provolone, Swiss, Pepper Jack, etc)
Emeril's Original Essence (or your favorite spice blend for burgers)
12 whole wheat dinner rolls

Toppings:
red onion, sliced very thin
lettuce
sliced tomato
1000 Island dressing (or ketchup, if you're my kids)

1. Shape ground turkey into patties about the size of your palm. Don't overwork the meat - just lightly shape them & then leave them alone.



2. Sprinkle with Emeril's seasonings (or your favorite). Don't work the seasoning into the ground turkey. This overworks the meat & makes your turkey patties dry. Just sprinkle it on the outside.



3. Place on grill over medium-high heat. Cook about 4 minutes each side, depending upon thickness. Make sure they're cooked through - No pink inside turkey burgers!!



4. Just before they're done cooking on the second side, lay 2 pieces of cooked bacon on top. Lay a half-slice of cheese over the bacon. The cheese will melt down & get all yummy & gooey. It also keeps the bacon in place.



5. Slice 12 dinner rolls in half. Place a turkey patty w/cheese on each roll's bottom half.



6. Build your slider with your favorite toppings. Serve & enjoy!

You can always make these with a different ground meat. Beef or lamb would be yummy! Experiment with seasonings & flavors: Greek with the ground lamb, or add some BBQ to beef-bacon sliders.