The turkey sandwich and beyond

Repurposing your Thanksgiving leftovers

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Nov. 28, 2020

Despite the pandemic, it was a full-on feast: turkey, stuffing, cranberry-something, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, two or three kinds of pie. Now that the pressure on your diaphragm has finally subsided, it’s time to seriously contemplate the leftovers. Not sure you’re up to it? Not to worry

If the holiday was a little stressful and you’re looking for comfort food, S. Irene Virbila provides a pot-pie tutorial in “Turkey pot pie, an easy second act.” In “The turkey sandwich reinvented,” Betty Hallock shares how chefs around the country built post-Thanksgiving turkey sammies.

If you want a little more to chew on than a sandwich, chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Bouchon and chef Evan Kleiman, the 27-year veteran of AngeliCaffe and host of KCRW-FM’s “Good Food,” have shared some of their chef’s wisdom as it applies to Thanksgiving leftovers. A few years ago, while exploring Thanksgiving leftovers, Keller challenged Times readers to extend their reach with leftover-based dishes. He discusses three recipes as springboards for creativity: turkey casserole, stuffing pain perdu (French toast) and a Thai-style turkey soup.

In “How to make the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers,” Kleiman walks us through her thinking. She notes that the best time to plan for repurposing leftovers is when planning your initial menu and shopping lists. (Make note for next year.) Among other things, she suggests that stacking your menu with ingredients you love will make you more inclined to actually use the leftovers. She then rattles off a dozen next uses for some basic Thanksgiving meal components. There is probably at least one idea there that you can use today.