Use what’s left over and create new eats!
If you’re like me you’ve started prepping for feasting season. Typically, I’d be gathering recipes or thinking through seating arrangements, but after a decade of perfecting our holiday menu, my focus has turned to the days following Thanksgiving. Abhorring waste of any kind, particularly food or budget, I had two objectives in mind. First, finding imaginative ways to repurpose the leftovers that typically clog my fridge after Thursday’s turkeyfest. Second, tricking my foodie family into eating our leftovers without realizing it.
Surfing the Internet for creative ideas to accomplish my mission, I happened upon a great recipe along with some inspiration. Circa 1920s in Louisville, Kentucky, the Brown Hotel hosted a dinner dance which gathered an astonishing 1,200 participants each evening. As the revelry went into the wee hours, guests seeking to quiet their growling stomachs were lured into the hotel’s restaurant where Chef Fred Schmidt invented an open-faced roasted turkey sandwich, served with bacon strips, sliced Roma tomatoes, and topped with a warm Mornay sauce. The Hot Brown was born.
Drawn in by the opportunity to repurpose the turkey, I became inspired to take Chef Schmidt’s culinary genius and add a couple of twists. What if I swapped the bread traditionally used as the base of the sandwich for another abundant leftover? Stuffing waffles anyone? I also thought this new post-Thanksgiving sandwich was screaming for the ousting of the Roma tomatoes for a sweet and tangy accompaniment — like a slaw. So I reached out to my dear friend, Marie, who gladly shared her cranberry salsa recipe with me. Fresh cranberries are a fall staple in my home. I use them as a garnish for charcuteries, on platters, and in punches. But they always seem to get forgotten in the crisper once Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror. Not anymore. This beautiful cranberry salsa will add a glorious pop of color to the top of our new stacked sandwich.
The final twist comes from Nashville, home of our iconic Hot Chicken. I thought, Let’s kick that Mornay sauce up a notch with a little cayenne heat. Alas, the Hot-Hot Brown was born.
While putting together this menu of leftover goodness, my palate suddenly craved a savory crunch. What if it came in the form of a crisp green bean salad? That’ll use up that extra bag of fresh green beans I always stash away just in case. And tell me, who doesn’t have some extra walnuts and almonds lying around this time of year? They’ll come in handy as the perfect topping for this fresh and lemony salad.
Obliterating waste, filling tummies, and keeping our budget intact feels like an accomplishment. Serving my family another meal without them suspecting they are clearing out my fridge — priceless.
The Hot-Hot Brown
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1/2 stick of butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. milk
1/2 c. Romano cheese (grated)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 lb. roasted turkey breast (thick sliced)
6 c. stuffing
12 strips bacon
parsley (chopped for garnish)
Directions
For the Mornay sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour until combined to make the roux. Continue to cook for two minutes stirring constantly. Add the cream, milk, cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, and whisk until creamy. Turn heat off or on low until ready to serve. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook bacon and heat waffle iron. Using a pastry brush, grease the waffle iron with the bacon lard. Form a one-cup ball of leftover stuffing and place it in the middle of the waffle iron and close the lid. Cook stuffing for three to four minutes, or until you can remove the stuffing waffle with tongs. Layer the open-faced sandwich with the waffle as the base, turkey, dollop of hot Mornay sauce, two strips of bacon crisscrossed, then sprinkled with parsley and pepper as desired.
—Tip from Laura
Place waffle stacks on a platter and keep warm in the oven until serving.
Cranberry Salsa
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple (peeled)
1 large red pepper
1 small white onion
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. apple juice
3 Tbsp. cilantro (chopped)
1 small jalapeño (seeds removed, diced)
1 tsp. lime zest
Directions
Add cranberries, apple, red pepper, and onion to a food processor. Pulse until just chopped. In a small bowl, add sugar, juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and zest. Stir into cranberry mixture and fold until well combined. Serve a tablespoonful over the top of the Hot-Hot Brown.
Chilled Bean Salad
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh green beans (trimmed)
1/2 head radicchio (sliced into strips)
1/4 c. red onion (sliced very thin)
2 oz. goat cheese (crumbled)
2 Tbsp. walnuts (chopped)
2 Tbsp. almonds (sliced)
1/4 c. fresh tarragon
1/4 c. lemon vinaigrette dressing
Directions
Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans to the water and blanch for two minutes. Remove beans from heat and immerse in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Cool completely, drain, and dry on a clean dish towel. Transfer beans to a large bowl. Add radicchio and red onion, then toss with the dressing to coat. Arrange on a platter and top with goat cheese, walnuts, almonds, and tarragon. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.
—Tip from Laura
To make a lemon vinaigrette, combine 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, and a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper.
Laura Schupp is the author of Our Newlywed Kitchen: The Art of Cooking, Gathering & Creating Traditions. Learn more about Laura at OurNewlywedKitchen.com.
These recipes originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of HomeLife Magazine. For more delicious dish ideas, check out our squash recipes for fall!
