Crush the fennel seeds with the flat side of a knife or in a mortar until they are roughly cracked. In a small bowl, stir together the sage, crushed fennel, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.

Put the cold ground turkey in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice mix over it and drizzle in the maple syrup. Mix gently with your hands just until the spices are evenly distributed. Overmixing makes the patties dense.

Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions, about 2.7 ounces each. Wet your hands and shape each portion into a patty about 3 inches across and 0.5 inch thick. Press a shallow dimple in the center of each so it stays flat while cooking.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 6 patties, leaving space between them, and cook 4 minutes without moving them until the bottoms are deeply golden.

Flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the centers read 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining patties.

Rest 2 minutes before serving. Two patties per person, with eggs, fruit, or on a toasted whole wheat English muffin.

To freeze the rest, cool cooked patties fully and freeze on a sheet pan for an hour before bagging, or freeze raw patties in a zip bag with parchment between them. Either way they keep 3 months and cook from frozen.