What to Do with Leftover Turkey
It's the inevitable post-Thanksgiving foodie conversation--What do I do with all this leftover turkey? Assuming you have leftover turkey, that is. And you probably do, since it seems to me that that's half the point of cooking turkey at Thanksgiving.
Growing up, my mom would do two things: make turkey soup and make curried turkey salad for sandwiches. To this day, I have a strong dislike for both dishes. Perhaps I had my lifetime fill of them at an early age.
These days, where the turkey is in my control, I like to have Thanksgiving again, and again, and again. I try to have leftovers of all the best Thanksgiving dishes and have a mini version of Thanksgiving at least once a day until all the dishes are gone.
I also like to make what I call a Thanksgiving Sandwich. This is not just your average turkey sandwich. This sandwich contains: creamed corn with bacon, stuffing, gravy, cranberry jelly, and yes, turkey. Occasionally I'll throw in some sweet potatoes for good measure. It's important that you construct the sandwich carefully. Not just so that each ingredient complements the next, but also so you don't end up with a heap of ingredients on the plate when you try to take a bite. This is my process: On one slice of bread, spread creamed corn with bacon. Shred some turkey and smoosh it lightly into the creamed corn. Top with a little gravy, and then some stuffing (my version of the MoistMaker). Spread some cranberry jelly on the other slice of bread, then press it firmly onto the rest of the sandwich. Enjoy.
What do you do with your leftover turkey? Add a comment and let us know.
--KitchenMaus
Joanie on November 26, 2007 at 07:26 PM
I always make a big batch of chicken enchiladas with leftover turkey for dinner the day after Thanksgiving. It's spicy enough so it really doesn't taste much like turkey, and so nice and different after the turkey-and-dressing meals of Thursday, and Friday lunch, that it's not a chore at all to eat.
ladynaava on November 27, 2007 at 10:23 PM
I don't care for turkey in anything but sandwiches. As a kid my mom would always try to put it in pasta, casseroles or other things and I didn't care for it. I like turkey breast, and turkey sandwitches but everything else I don't go for. Particularly loathe the dark meat... Way too slimey and fatty
I think I've had:
Turkey Tetrazzini (sorry, too tired to spell)
Turkey Casserole
Turkey and Pasta