Leftover Love

5 Portland Chefs Present Post T-Day Sandwiches

These creative recipes for sandwiches made with Thanksgiving leftovers just might be the best thing since sliced bread.

By Anna Sachse November 24, 2010

Two of the recipes involved in Paley’s post T-Day sandwich can be found here!

Turkey and Stuffing Scrapple —Timothy Wastell, DOC

To make the “scrapple,” first simmer shredded leftover turkey in a little leftover gravy; then, add a small amount of cornmeal and continue to cook until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Next, add some leftover stuffing and stir until the mixture is thick and homogenous, to the point that when it cools you will be able to slice and fry it. Taste the mixture to check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. Next, transfer the mixture to a greased and/or parchment paper-lined tray or casserole dish, and smooth it out to an even thickness, ideally an inch to an inch-and-a-half thick. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is cool and solid—at least a few hours or up to overnight.

To complete, slice the scrapple into sandwich-sized pieces, dip them in a little cornmeal or flour, and pan-fry until they are golden brown. Serve the slices on pretzel bread from little t american baker or leftover rolls, with leftover cranberry sauce and a side of gravy for dipping.

Thanksgiving Turkey Rueben —Vitaly Paley, Paley’s Place

To make the sandwich that is sure to be the star of the Paley’s Place staff-meal more than once after Thanksgiving, Paley would use the bread pudding that he makes instead of stuffing as the bread portion, and he would use his braised red cabbage side dish in place of sauerkraut. (Editor’s Note: Both the recipes are in The Paley’s Place Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from the Pacific Northwest, available at Powell’s.) Start by rubbing slices of leftover bread pudding with Russian dressing on one side, and cranberry mustard (made from leftover cranberry compote mixed with whole grain mustard) on the other. Next, place slices of leftover smoked turkey (Paley smokes and spit-roasts his bird every Thanksgiving) on top, and cover with the red cabbage and grated gruyére. Grill the sandwich until golden brown and then serve with fries made from leftover sweet potatoes.

The Old Fashioned —John Stewart, Meat Cheese Bread

Begin by reheating your leftover turkey (or turkey sausage, goose, chicken, etc.) in the oven or microwave, warming your leftover cranberry chutney/sauce, and heating some leftover mashed potatoes in a covered pan on “low.” When the potatoes are hot, gently fold in some grated sharp cheddar cheese and a couple tablespoons of sour cream. Next, cut a Grand Central bolo roll in half, butter the cut sides, and then grill them slowly in a frying pan. When the bread is warm and toasty, add your leftovers in whatever order you like—Stewart prefers the meat on the bottom, topped with the potatoes, thinly sliced onions, and then cranberry chutney.

Thanksgiving Day-After Dip —Ken Gordon, Kenny & Zukes

Spread three tablespoons of softened butter on one side of eight slices of crusty sourdough or country white bread, and then flip the slices over. Spread four of the slices with one cup of leftover cranberry sauce. Distribute two cups of warmed leftover stuffing on the other four slices, layer one pound of sliced leftover turkey over the stuffing, spread a tablespoon of leftover gravy on top of each of slice, and top them with the other four slices of bread, cranberry sauce side down. Next, heat a large griddle to medium-hot and place the sandwiches on it, weighting them down with another large pan or two and lightly pressing down during the grilling. Cook the sandwiches until they are well-browned and crusty on one side, and then carefully flip them over and repeat on the other side. When they’re done, cut them into quarters and serve with a side of hot gravy for dipping.

The Hard Way and the Easy Way —Jason Neroni, Saucebox

If you’re feeling ambitious, consider doing a leftover turkey leg confit and making a rillettes (a preparation of meat similar to pâté). Slice it and serve it on the bread of your choice with leftover cranberry sauce mixed with mustard. If you don’t have that kind of motivation after a day of gorging, fry up a mess of leftover sausage stuffing and serve it on thin slices of the bread of your choice with a poached egg and leftover giblet au jus. Serve either sandwich with a spicy Bloody Mary garnished with pickled Brussels sprouts.

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