Thanksgiving Recipe

Remember when leftovers would get the royal treatment by being tucked inside a tin foil swan? These days, extra servings tend to get a fair amount of shade for taking up precious refrigerator real estate, for being boring (we get it: the same casserole on repeat for 3 dinners in a row gets tired), and potentially resulting in excess food waste if you can’t work your way through them in time. Still, if you’re going to all the effort of whipping up an ambitious meal, you might as well do your future self a favor and gift yourself some precious meal prep. All nine chefs we spoke to agree that Thanksgiving leftovers are precious cargo and are worth celebrating in a new creation.  “Thanksgiving leftovers might just be the greatest leftovers in human history. I have always loved making ‘to-go’ plates after everybody has eaten and before we start cleaning,” says James Dibella, corporate executive chef at Link & Pin, The Cellar, and Duckworth’s in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s a generous gesture to share, but be sure to set aside some turkey for yourself, suggests Michael Manoocheri, director of food and beverage at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in San Diego, California: “Turkey’s versatility in particular lets you get creative with flavors and textures. Plus, leftovers mean minimal cooking for the next couple of days.”  Leftover turkey recipes allow you to think beyond the standard holiday plate and transform those cozy flavors into something new. Plus, “this keeps that holiday spirit going,” adds Jacob Jasinski, executive chef and food and beverage director for The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island. (By the way, the USDA recommends freezing or consuming leftovers within 4 days, so we always make it our mission to use them up by Cyber Monday.) Sylvia Casares, the author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook” and the chef/owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen in Houston, Texas looks forward to leftover turkey recipes so much, “I always make two birds to ensure I have enough extra!” Sylvia Casares, the author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook” and the chef/owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen in Houston, Texas  Jose Danger, executive chef at Teatro Restaurant restaurant at The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida   James Dibella, corporate executive chef at Link & Pin, The Cellar, and Duckworth’s in Charlotte, North Carolina Michael Manoocheri, director of food and beverage at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in San Diego, California 9 of the Best Leftover Turkey Recipes, According to Chefs For other holidays or Sunday dinners, we have you covered with our leftover pulled pork, leftover ham, and leftover chicken recipes. And come Thanksgiving, our panel of nine creative chefs have your back with the line-up of leftover turkey recipes below. When Eric Rowse, lead chef-instructor of Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles, California has extra turkey on hand, he admits, “I don’t want to eat a reheated Thanksgiving dinner. I want the flavors in a new shape to make the family feel it’s something new. I want to ‘chef’ it up”—and the ideas below explain exactly how to (easily) follow suit. Still, if you prefer to eat it straight up, stick around to the end to discover the best way to reheat turkey. A few tiny details make all the difference between juicy, just-as-good-as-fresh roasted meat vs. dry and tough turkey. Turkey and Potato Hash “I do not wake up early on Black Friday to hunt for deals. Instead, I normally stay back and make brunch,” confirms Jose Danger, executive chef at Teatro Restaurant restaurant at The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida.  The best Black Friday brunch, and one of the tastiest leftover turkey recipes, according to Danger, Manoocheri, and Derek Piva, executive chef at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Oregon? Turkey and Potato Hash. Bonus: Making a leftover turkey recipe the next morning will score you more fridge space soon after the feast. Dice or shred leftover turkey, then combine that with sautéed diced onions and peppers as well as leftover roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes—or blanched cubes of either tuber. Season as desired and top with eggs cooked your way. (Danger digs a fluffy scramble, while Piva prefers poached, and Manoocheri is into fried eggs.) Drizzle with gravy if you like. Turkey and Waffles For brunch or breakfast for dinner, Rowse recommends “a Thanksgiving version of chicken and waffles.” Start by warming the turkey in a skillet with a splash of gravy, ”especially if the turkey was on the dry side initially,” Rowse says. Then reheat a scoop of stuffing in a waffle iron so it is crispy on the outside and still moist on the inside. If stuffing wasn’t on the menu or if you finished it at the feast, cooked frozen waffles or homemade waffles work, too. (Our Cornmeal Buttermilk Waffles would be particularly fitting.) Pile the gravy-poached turkey on top of the waffles, and pair this with a side salad garnished with a few French fried onions if you happen to have them on hand for the green bean casserole, Rowse says Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Sandwich Of course, no round-up of leftover turkey recipes would be complete without what Ziggy Gruber, chef, owner, and delimaven at Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen Restaurant and Bakery in Houston, Texas deems “The Great Holiday Sandwich, Charlie Brown.” Simply warm the leftover meat