Leftovers Recipe: Open-Faced Turkey “Hot Brown” Sandwiches

If you’re looking for a way to repurpose your turkey beyond round two at the buffet, might I suggest a (slightly over the top) Kentucky “Hot Brown”? Normally I make this open-faced sandwich as part of my Derby day spread, but the Southern specialty also makes a perfect reprieve from Thanksgiving casserole overkill.

A “Hot Brown” starts out simple enough: sliced turkey, bacon, and tomatoes are piled atop thick, buttery bread, but the ordinary turns to extraordinary when it is smothered in a cheesy, creamy Mornay sauce. The decadent creation was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1920’s and has since become quite its claim to fame.

This oddly-named dish might not be familiar to those of you outside the South, or even beyond Kentucky, but I promise you the crunchy, saucy combination will make Plain Jane turkey start to seem a whole lot less ordinary. (Heck, it’s a great way to gussy up leftover chicken, too!) And if you’ve never made Mornay sauce then you are in for a real treat. The classic French cream sauce is thickened with roux and spiked with freshly grated cheese, and it pairs splendidly with an endless array of delicious things.

Thanksgiving leftovers — and pasta, baked potatoes, and broccoli — just got a lot more interesting… But what about you? How does your family stretch out turkey for a few more tasty meals?