Ultimate Maple Christmas Sandwich

• 8 slices of bread (tiger bread or sourdough work well)
• 8 slices of thick cut, streaky bacon
• 4 tbsp of pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
• 8 slices of cooked Maple Glazed Turkey
• 4 tbsp cranberry sauce
• 4 slices of American cheese (or a cheese of your choice)
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings

FOR THE PORK STUFFING SMASH BURGERS

• 400g sausage stuffing meat
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
• 6 shallots, finely diced
• 1 tsp thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
• 1 tsp pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

FOR THE SPROUT SLAW

• 200g raw sprouts, peeled and finely sliced
• 100g celeriac, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 small carrot, peeled and grated
• Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (reserve a handful to garnish)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 75ml sour cream
• 74ml mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp maple vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE SPROUT SLAW

1. Finely slice or pulse your sprouts in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl with the celeriac and carrot.
2. Add the lemon juice, parsley and salt and mix well.
3. Pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the remaining ingredients together, pour half over the vegetables and reserve the other half.
4. Mix the dressing into the slaw and pop back in the fridge.
5. The further in advance you can make this, the better. It’ll keep for up to three days refrigerated.

FOR THE PORK SMASH BURGERS

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well, we find it better to get your clean hands in there and give it all a good squish so the ingredients are well combined.
2. Shape into 8 meatballs.
3. Place a frying pan, or a cast iron flat plate, directly over your BBQ grill and heat until very hot. A searing heat is really important to cook your burgers quickly.
4. Next, brush a little olive oil onto the top and bottom of your meatballs. Place a meatball into the pan or onto the flat plate. You can use a flat spatula or anything heavy to press down on the burger firmly and quickly to make it very flat and thin.
5. Do not move the burger, allow to cook for around 1-2 minutes before flipping over to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Remove from the pan, place your cheese on top and set aside. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Brush some melted butter or a little olive oil onto one side on your bread slices. If you have a griddle pan, toast the bread on one side for some pretty cool looking griddle marks.
2. As your pork smash burgers are cooking, put a few bacon rashers on to cook too. Make sure you cook them nice and crispy. Drain them on a paper towel, then transfer to a plate and brush with maple syrup.
3. On the bottom piece of toast, pile on the sprout slaw, followed by the cheese topped pork stuffing smash burger, then a couple of slices of the maple bacon and the sliced turkey.
4. Finally drizzle more of the slaw dressing over the top, followed by a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of cranberry sauce on the lid of the sandwich and squash closed. For dramatic effect, you can spike a steak knife through the centre to serve.