Turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing, apple pie: these are some of the things we look forward to on Thanksgiving. Something else we all look forward to are leftover turkey sandwiches.
I definitely look forward to a couple of days of leftover sandwiches after the holidays, although it wasn’t always like that for me. When I was a kid, leftovers hadn’t been invented. I should rephrase: It wasn’t that leftovers hadn’t been invented. It’s just that my family had never heard of such a thing.
Take the turkey leftover sandwich to the next level.
I have five brothers and three sisters and then, of course, there was mom and dad. Add to that my grandmother, aunt and uncle, and, well, I think you can see why we never had leftovers. What we did have was seconds and occasionally, on a 25-pound-turkey year, thirds, but definitely no leftovers. I must say, it was pretty traumatic. I mean there I was, sitting at my desk in the third grade with everyone around me eating this awesome-looking turkey sandwich while I sat there with my peanut butter and jelly.
Try Chef Smitty’s other recipes for leftovers:
Turkey Stock & Asian Soup
Turkey Pot Pie, Turkey Pinwheels & Squash Pinwheels
Well, those days are now just a memory. Now I can ensure all the leftovers my stomach can possibly, well, stomach. The last few years, I’ve used all the leftovers for not only sandwiches, but also for soups and casseroles.
The sandwiches are the main thing, though. So now, the question is: how can you make that leftover turkey sandwich even more delicious and spectacular? Sure, you can add stuffing and cranberry sauce and that will make a great sandwich, but what about something a little different.
Here is an idea that comes from the old days of cooking at the Nantucket Yacht Club and some of the finer restaurants in Stowe, Vt. Basically, it is more of an East Coast thing that I was so pleasantly reminded of a few summers ago by some folks in Tahoma.
This year, when you are trying to think of ways to take that great turkey leftover sandwich to the next level, try this sandwich.
Leftover Turkey Sandwiches
Makes 4 sandwiches
1 lb. turkey
1 red pepper, roasted
1/2 red onion, caramelized
1 portabella mushroom, marinated & grilled or baked
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper
6 to 8 pieces of cheese
4 sub rolls
Marinate the mushroom in the four ingredients listed after the mushroom for at least a half hour.
Roast the pepper in a 450-degree F oven until it is black, flipping it over to blacken the other side, as well. Put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool. The steam will help separate the charred skin from the flesh for easier peeling. Once cool, peel and seed the pepper and cut into strips. Cut the onion in half and slice it lengthwise.
Get a sauté pan hot but not smoking on the stove top and caramelize the red onion by sautéing it until it is golden brown. Grill or roast the mushroom until it is just cooked all the way through and slice.
Make your sandwich with mayonnaise or spread of your choice and add all the ingredients. Top with cheese. If you want the sandwich warm, heat everything but the cheese in a sauté pan. Slice the roll, fill the roll and top with cheese and bake just to melt the cheese.
