5 easy things to make with your Thanksgiving leftovers
The head chef at Mike’s City Diner shares his tips.
Once all the stresses of Thanksgiving Day have passed–your relatives have safely returned to Connecticut and you’ve managed not to burn the biscuits–there’s still one more holiday hassle that has to be dealt with: What will you do with all the leftovers?
Jay Hajj is the owner and head chef at Mike’s City Diner, a local favorite known for its “Pilgrim,’’ a sandwich made of the holy trinity of Thanksgiving meal items: turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Here, the king of leftovers offers what he does (or would like to do) with this Thanksgiving scraps:
Turkey Hash
Not sure what to do with that pile of untouched dark meat? It works well in turkey hash, according to Hajj.
“Hash is so easy,’’ he said. It’s a no-brainer, and the kind of thing you can whip up early in the morning for whatever distant cousins you may still have hanging out in your guest room. And, on top of that, it’s tasty.
“I’m telling you, hash is one of my favorite things,’’ Hajj said.
Hajj recommends starting out your hash by sautéeing onions–his secret ingredient–and making sure to throw in your leftover potatoes to stick it all together.
“It has to bind a little,’’ Hajj said. “It’s not like a hamburger.’’ So, “any potatoes you have, whether it’s mashed or chunks, throw it in,’’ he said.
Try: Turkey Hash (Guy Fieri/Food Network. For the record, Guy loves Mike’s City Diner, and the Pilgrim in particular.)
Turkey Soup
It’s a tried and true post-Thanksgiving recipe. And it’s another delicious way to get rid of your dark meat, Hajj said.
“The dark [meat] is a lot more fatty, it’s a lot more sticky,’’ Hajj said. “Unless you’re a big dark meat fan, it doesn’t make great leftovers.’’
But, he said, it’s great for soups.
Try: Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles and Vegetables (Robin Miller/Food Network)
Roasted Vegetable Quiche
Hash isn’t the only way to recycle your leftovers at breakfast time–Hajj said that a quiche would be a great way to repurpose your side dishes. That’s only if you even have any leftover vegetables, though, which Hajj said rarely happens in his house. He and his family always devour them. And if they don’t, they rarely bother with a quiche or an omelet.
“We always eat them cold the next day,’’ he said. “They’re so delicious.’’
Try: Roasted Vegetable Tart (Yotam Ottolenghi/Bon Appétit)
A Sandwich
The best way to eat all the white meat is in a sandwichof course–one like the Pilgrim.
“I love sandwiches,’’ Hajj said, noting that the sandwiches at Mike’s are his favorite menu item. “It’s so hard to get a good sandwich.’’
Of course he would recommend replicating the Mike’s City Diner staple, but Hajj said that at home, he and his family also put mayonnaise or gracy on their sandwiches. Yum.
Try: The Pilgrim (Country Living)
Butternut Squash Pie
What about those of us with a sweet tooth? Is there any dessert to be had in that pile of delicious scraps? Hajj said that leftover butternut squash is the perfect main ingredient in a sweet, tasty, next-day pie.
“[Squash pie is] very similar to pumpkin pie–but you gotta add more cinnamon,’’ he said, noting that he doesn’t add much cinnamon to his squash when he serves it at dinner, because he wants to “taste the squash.’’
“Add some brown sugar, honey, nutmeg,’’ he said. “Just like you’d make a sweet potato pie. Buy a two-dollar crust and do it.’’
Who knew that the side dish you hated most as a kid could make a great dessert?
Try: Butternut Squash Pie (Kay Rentschler/ NYTimes Cooking)
Not cooking on Thanksgiving in the first place? No problem. Check out some restaurants in town that are offering traditional holiday fare:
[bdc-gallery id=”140304″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com