There is a war going on in my kitchen right now. A dirty, bitter, gruesome war between my desire to use up the mass of Thanksgiving leftovers sitting in my refrigerator and my grave knowledge that if I don’t make an effort to undo some of the gluttony that took place over the past weekend, I will be looking a whole lot like Santa Claus, at least in terms of size and shape, by Christmas.

This lean yet flavorful burger offers a possible solution. Since the burger is made with cooked turkey breast, not raw ground meat as in traditional turkey burgers, the consistency is more similar to a hearty crab cake, but the breadcrumbs yield a crisp outer crust with a flavorful, garlicky interior.

There. Instant virtue. If, however, you choose to follow it up with a huge slice of pumpkin pie, I suppose I can’t stop you.