Leftovers: Sandwiches and a killer pot pie from your Thanksgiving feast

It’s the morning after Thanksgiving and you’re still in your flannel pajamas. You creep into the kitchen and open the fridge to find what’s left of last night’s turkey. It’s too tempting not to tear off a couple pieces of the leg meat to eat cold before the rest of the family comes down to attack and grab their share to put in sandwiches, pot pies and omelets.

The thought of Thanksgiving leftovers is reason enough to roast a turkey twice the size needed to feed your dinner party. And the possibilities for what to do with that leftover meat are endless.

If you’re looking for sandwich ideas, Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock has some suggestions. She asked three Los Angeles chefs how they would reinvent the turkey sandwich. Ricardo Zarate of Mo-Chica and Picca came up with a recipe for a roasted turkey sandwich with fried sweet potatoes, jalapeno-cilantro aioli. It comes piled high with avocado on a buttery brioche bun.

Michael Voltaggio, chef at Ink, prefers a sous-vide turkey breast with chunks of melted Rouge et Noir Camembert, argula, a smear of mayonnaise and a thick layer of mostarda (Italian preserved fruit), or say...cranberry sauce?

Judy Han of Mendocino Farms suggests pairing hand-carved turkey with an ancho-bell-pepper-cranberry chutney, a light puree of kabocha and creme fraiche, applewood smoked bacon and romaine on Dolce Forno buckwheat bread.

Los Angeles Times wine critic S. Irene Virbila prefers her leftovers in the form of a hot, crisp and bubbly turkey pot pie. She made a recipe for chef Bradley Ogden’s pot pie, which she insists isn’t more labor intensive than peeling pearl onions.

Have a favorite way to eat Thanksgiving leftovers? Let us know in the comments below or share with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Fighting over a drumstick right now? I get it. Follow me on Twitter: @Jenn_Harris_

ALSO:

Judge orders partial shutdown of Sriracha plant

Holiday Cookie Bake-Off: Vote now for your favorites! Figdoodle anyone?

Thanksgivukkah: How to make the ultimate Thanksgiving-Hanukkah sandwich