The day after Thanksgiving, the fridge is full of containers and nobody wants another plate of the same dinner. The trick is to stop thinking of it as leftovers and start thinking of it as ingredients: cooked turkey is just cooked poultry, and roasted vegetables are halfway to a whole new dish.
First, a word on safety. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of the meal, and plan to eat them within three to four days. Anything you will not get to in that time can go into the freezer.
1. Turkey and sweet potato enchiladas
Serves 4 to 6
- 3 cups shredded cooked turkey
- 1 1/2 cups mashed or roasted sweet potato
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce
- 10 to 12 corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
- sliced green onion, cilantro and sour cream, to serve
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix the turkey, sweet potato, beans, cumin and half a cup of the sauce. Spread a little sauce in a baking dish, fill and roll the tortillas and lay them seam side down. Pour over the rest of the sauce, scatter with cheese and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Finish with green onion, cilantro and sour cream.
2. Leftover vegetable hash
Chop roasted vegetables, potatoes and a little stuffing into small pieces. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet, add everything in an even layer and leave it alone for five minutes so it can form a crust. Flip in sections, crisp the other side, then make a few wells and crack in eggs. Cover until the whites are set. A spoon of cranberry sauce on the side is a surprisingly good match.
3. Turkey stock and soup
Put the turkey carcass in a large pot with an onion, a carrot, a celery stalk and a bay leaf. Cover with cold water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for three to four hours, skimming now and then. Strain, cool quickly and refrigerate. For soup, simmer the stock with diced vegetables, a handful of rice or small pasta and any leftover turkey until tender. Extra stock freezes for months.
More quick ideas
- Stir cranberry sauce into plain yogurt or whisk it into a vinaigrette.
- Press leftover stuffing into a hot waffle iron until crisp.
- Fold mashed potatoes into a pancake batter for crisp potato cakes.
- Turn the last of the pie into a breakfast parfait with yogurt.
With a little planning, the leftovers last a few more days and every meal feels new.
