Whether your fridge is full of leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, or pie, simply reheating ingredients makes for a most uninteresting meal.
Everyone looks forward to a delicious post-Thanksgiving panini, we make ours with brie, turkey, and a variety of sauces. Some more exciting inventions tend to be for the breakfast table, and light dinners. Think of these as creative combinations, no formal recipe required.
Post-Thanksgiving breakfast dishes are just as crave-worthy as the dinner that inspired them. Many of the combinations I’m sharing have become part of our Thanksgiving tradition. The options are endless.
- Poached Eggs over Apple Dressing: Place ¼ cup warmed Aunt Marion’s Apple Dressing in a bowl and top with two poached eggs and fresh chives. The well-seasoned bread cubes will soak up the delicious egg yolks, and the chestnuts add a pop of Autumnal flavor.
- Cranberry-yogurt Parfait: Pull a few plump cranberries out of your leftover cranberry orange sauce, and set aside. Then, using an immersion blender, smooth out the remaining sauce. With plain yogurt, assemble the parfait: Layer the bottom of a glass with ¼ cup of yogurt, add a generous layer of cranberry orange sauce, and repeat, top with a tablespoon of yogurt, a couple of plump cranberries and orange zest or fresh rosemary. My husband enjoys his favorite granola on the bottom of his parfait, you can also top the parfait with leftover nuts.
- Thanksgiving Smoothie: In a blender, combine 1 cup fresh-pressed apple cider, 1-1/2 cups cranberry orange sauce, 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Blend until combined. Makes two large servings.
- Turkey Frittata: Heat leftover roasted vegetables in a skillet, stir in leftover potatoes and turkey. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs.
- Apple Butter: Make apple butter for your favorite breakfast breads by beating together sweet butter and a little homemade applesauce.
For post-Thanksgiving dinners, there is nothing better than reimagined hors d’oeuvres followed by a warm Potato Leek Soup or a big green salad.
- Crostini Appetizer: This crostini appetizer is an easy- to-make nibble that looks beautiful, and celebratory. Toast baguette slices under the broiler until crisp, and top with Brie or goat cheese, caramelized onion and cranberry orange sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
- Sweet Potato Open-Face Sandwiches: Slice left over sweet potato lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Brush the slices with olive oil, and warm them on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and build with a variety of toppings: add cheese and cranberry orange sauce, guacamole and microgreens, chopped roasted brussels sprouts, or turkey and gravy. The options are limitless.
- Mashed Potato Bites: Warm leftover mashed potatoes with your favorite cheese and pipe over crackers, top with sauce or gravy of your choice and freshly chopped herbs. The perfect complement to a super soup.
- Sweet Potato–Kale Frittata: Sautée leftover sweet potatoes and Kale in a skillet, stir in onion, garlic, and goat cheese. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs. Serve warm.
- Crispy Potato Cakes: Heat oil in a skillet, add 1 ½ cups chopped onion and a tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. When the onion is soft add 3 cups of left-over mashed potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl with 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Using a 1/3 cup measure, form potato mixture into 12 cakes. Gently press panko on both sides of each cake. Cook cakes in a skillet of hot oil. Cook in batches, turning once, until golden brown and heated through, about 8 minutes. Serve over greens, alongside turkey slices or top with any leftover sauce or gravy.
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