Turkey dinner muffins. Turkey samosas. Strawberry-turkey spinach salad. Turkey quesadilla suiza.
Slate writer Jill Hunter Pellettieri recoils against these and other misguided attempts to use every last shred of leftover turkey in her article, Let Leftovers Be Leftovers.
She writes, Do you really want to morph the centerpiece of your most ceremonial meal of the year into turkey bundles (stuffed with turkey, cream cheese, dill weed, and water chestnuts, among other things). Read on for her answer to leftover turkey...
She believes that you should let your turkey live out its natural life, get eaten happily out of Tupperware containers along with leftover stuffing, and not be subjected to the contortions of moo shu turkey.
When you're sick of turkey, you're sick of it. The sight of that Tupperware, once the source of so much joy, will become grim and unappetizing.
What about you? Do you have mounds of leftover turkey? Do you look forward to slotting it into leftover recipes, or do you just look forward to a good turkey and gravy sandwich?
Related Links
• Thanksgiving Post Mortem: Beyond Turducken
• Get Ready for Thanksgiving: Turkey Tips
• On Thanksgiving Traditions
• Good Question: Ground Turkey Packaging
I'm with Jill. I stopped making the entire turkey a few years ago and now just cook the breast. I don't have a HUGE bird taking up space in my frig for days on end and we're usually done with it in 2 days. Mine came out great, which is easy when you use a roasting bag. I let my son choose the menu and I was very happy with the way every thing worked out. Leftovers for lunch in about an hour and I'm looking forward to it.
view rose's profile
I have vivid and wonderful memories of eating left-over turkey (dark meat, preferably) on homemade bread with a dab of mayo in my lunches during high school. No contorted turkey for me, please!
view Mike D's profile
I love reheating the turkey in the skillet with butter, letting the edges get a bit crispy. And turkey vegetable soup....yum! That's about as complex as I get
view Sassy in SF's profile
I have to agree with the article.
I like leftover turkey sandwiches with a layer of stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Turkey and wild rice soup with the leftover gravy, stock, bones, meat, etc.
I like to keep it simple.
view art's profile
Every year, without fail, I make a big turkey soup. I trim off all the leftover white meat and put it aside with the stuffing, etc. for reheated meals and sandwiches, and make the stock with the carcass. All the dark meat and some bits of white meat left over go into the soup with lots of veggies from the farmer's market.
view Justin (the first one)'s profile
Oh, yeah, turkey sandwiches are ALWAYS made with toasted Brick Oven white bread.... with bacon. Nomnomnomnom!
view Justin (the first one)'s profile
Oh she's just silly. Anyone can make decent turkey pot pie or turkey hash.
view Palmetto's profile
I agree with the article for the most part. I never bothered trying to contort the leftover sides into anything else. As for the turkey, I typically make sandwiches, pot pie, or enchiladas from them. Very simple.
view verily's profile