Inspiration on How to Use Delicious Christmas Leftovers
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All the leftovers after Christmas can be overwhelming and it can be tricky using leftovers to create something equally appetizing as what it originally was. One of the best things you can do to avoid boring leftovers is to use a variety of ingredients. You can easily make a delicious sauce by doing something as simple as mixing mayonnaise with chipotle paste.
Here I’ll go through some of the leftovers you’re likely to have after Christmas, and I’ll share simplified versions of three of my favorite dishes for these Christmas leftovers. I don’t go into a lot of detail especially when it comes to amounts and ingredients because cooking with leftovers depends very highly on how much of each leftover and ingredients you have. You'll have to use your cook's intuition to the best of your abilities.
Turkey
Turkey (What wine goes well with turkey?) is one of the most versatile leftovers you can have. You can shares orifice the meat and mix it with some mayonnaise and herbs to make a turkey sandwich filling. You could slice it really thin to make club sandwiches (What wine goes well with sandwiches?). It’s great tossed in some pasta (how long does pasta last?), even topped on fresh pizza (how long does fresh pizza last?).
My favorite thing to make with leftover turkey is delicious sandwiches, here are three of my favorites.
Looking for fresh turky near you? Click here.
Christmas Dinner Sandwich
This is one of my favorites because it utilizes other leftovers that you’re likely to have after Christmas. To make the sandwich you’ll need:
Leftover turkey, sliced into thin slices
Leftover cranberry sauce
Leftover turkey stuffing
Sliced artisan bread (how long does bread last?)
To make the sandwich, lightly toast each side of the bread, and spread a layer of cranberry sauce on each side.
Layer the turkey onto the bread then top with turkey stuffing then press the bread together.
You can add a lot of things like bacon (how long does bacon last?), pickles, or mustard (how long does mustard last?) to this sandwich to give it an extra dimension of flavor.
Turkey Club Sandwich
Chicken club sandwiches are a classic. Replacing the chicken with turkey is a great way to make it slightly healthier, and give the classic a nice twist. You’ll need:
Leftover turkey, cut into thin slices
A couple of strips of griddled bacon
Fresh tomato slices
Fresh Lettuce
Mayo
Slices of artisan bread, lightly toasted
A turkey club can also be upgraded with all kinds of Christmas leftovers. Add Christmas stuffing or cranberry sauce. Pickles or avocados go really well inside a fresh club sandwich.
Cranberry & Brie Cheese Melt
This sandwich is really simple but tastes incredibly rich and complex. Brie is a very common cheese to eat around Christmas especially in Europe. This is the only sandwich where is say bread matters. I recommend getting a really rustic, artisan sourdough that not too dense and heavy and that has a little crunch to it.
Leftover turkey, sliced into thin wafers
Slices of brie cheese
Leftover cranberry sauce
If you have a sandwich press it makes the whole process a lot easier. If you don't have one you can use a hot frying pan or even the oven to make this delicious sandwich. Simply spread the cranberry sauce on each side of the bread, fill with the turkey and brie, then bake in the oven at 400°F for around 10 minutes.
Ham
A honey (how long does honey last?)-glazed ham is one of my all-time favorite Christmas dishes because I feel like I’m never short of ideas on how to use the leftovers. Ham can be great in the morning in an omelet, it’s amazing sliced thin so you can make sandwiches, you can chop it up and bake it on top of a crust or pastry, or you can mix it with vegetables and other things to make hush puppies. Here are some of my favorite leftover ham recipes:
Honey Glazed Ham Omelet
Omelets are a great way to start the day, however, if you’re cooking for a group, chopped ham is just as delicious in scrambled eggs. These are the ingredients you need for one medium-sized omelet. The vegetables I list here are just some of my favorites, get creative with your own.
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (how long does sea salt last?)
1 tablespoon of creme fraiche
½ tablespoon of olive oil
Leftover ham, finely chopped
¼ small onion, finely chopped
50 grams of mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh chives (how long do chives last?), chopped
Whisk the eggs together with the creme fraiche and season with the flaky salt. Set aside and place a nonstick skillet over medium heat with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil.
Sautee the chopped ham, onion, and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes then evenly distribute them in the skillet. Pour in the eggs and use a rubber spatula to scrape the outer edges into the middle.
After around 2 minutes tilt the pan and gently roll the omelet from the top-down, onto the plate. Season with freshly ground pepper and fresh chives.
German Flammkuchen
Flammkuchen is a thin german pizza smothered with creme fraiche often season with nutmeg (how long does nutmeg last?) and topped with a variety of ingredients like caramelized onions, cheese, and bacon, or in this case, leftover ham.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (how long does flour last?)
Salt
½ cup of water
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ a cup Creme fraiche
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 white onions, peeled, halved, and sliced
1 tablespoon Sugar
Leftover ham, finely chopped
Black pepper
Fresh chives, finely chopped
Make a really simple dough by whisking 2 cups of flour with one teaspoon of salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and water. Combine all the ingredients into a rough dough, then knead it into a smooth dough ball on a floured surface (around 2-3 minutes). Cover the dough with a dish towel and leave to rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions. Season with salt and sugar and caramelized the onions for 10 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl, then in a separate bowl whisk together the creme fraiche and 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and roll the dough out into a floured surface in an 11x13 rectangle. Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and smother with the creme fraiche. Top with the ham and onion then bake in the oven until the base is browned and crispy. Serve topped with fresh chopped chives.
Ham & Asparagus Roll-Ups
Wrapping asparagus (What wine goes well with asparagus?) in ham and topping them with cheese is an impressive way to turn simple ingredients into a delicious side or starter. If you don’t care for hollandaise sauce, cheese is a nice alternative. Grate cheese of your choice over the asparagus before heating them in the oven. Some cheeses that melt well are mozzarella, fontina, cheddar, or Gruyere. If certain cheeses are too strong for your liking, mix them in with a milder cheese.
Asparagus stalks
Leftover ham, sliced wafer-thin
1 lemon
3 egg yolks
½ cup of melted butter
A pinch of salt
½ teaspoon of dijon mustard
Preheat your oven to 375°F while you blanch your asparagus for 2 minutes.
Tightly wrap the asparagus in the hame and lay them close together in a baking tray greased very lightly and bake the roll-ups in the oven for 10-12 minutes while you make the hollandaise sauce.
Bring water to a rolling boil in a saucepan and place a glass bowl on top. Cut the sides off the lemon and juice them into the glass bowl with the egg yolks and whisk vigorously. Slowly pour in the melted butter while whisking until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Take the bowl off the saucepan and whisk in a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon of dijon mustard.
Remove the asparagus (how long does asparagus last?) from the oven, season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then plate and top with the hollandaise sauce.
Mashed Potatoes
Potato Croquettes
Mashed potatoes (What wine goes well with potatoes?) lose their creaminess the day after when they’re no longer fresh, but there’s a great way to turn that into delicious, savory bite-size, hor dourves. When you’re working with leftover mashed potatoes, slightly wetting your hands before handling them will make them less sticky and easier to shape.
Leftover mashed potatoes
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 egg, beaten
½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup of sunflower oil for frying
Leftover gravy
Mix the flour, salt, and pepper together in a shallow bowl, then beat the egg in a separate bowl, and empty the bread crumbs (how long do bread crumbs last?) into a third.
Shape small 30-50 gram balls out of the mashed potatoes then coat them with flour, the egg wash, then with the bread crumbs. For an extra crunch dip the croquettes into the egg wash and bread crumbs twice.
Heat the oil in a skillet to 350°F and fry the breaded potatoes for 3 minutes, flipping and basting in oil and now and again.
Drain the croquettes on a paper towel and serve with reheated gravy on the side.
Cheesy Mashed Potato Griddle Cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
Grated cheddar
All-purpose flour
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Mix the egg, cheese, and parsley into the leftover mashed potatoes then lightly wet your hands so you can form the cakes.
In a shallow bowl, combined the all-purpose flour with a little bit of salt and pepper, then evenly coat all the cakes before frying them for 3 minutes in 350°F sunflower oil.
Homemade Gnocchi
Gnocchis (how long do gnocchi last?) are small, soft potato dumplings boiled in water and often pan-seared after. They a delicious alternative to pasta and certainly just as versatile.
1 cup Leftover mashed potatoes
1 Egg
¾ cup All-purpose flour
Mix the eggs into the mashed potatoes until well combined then start mixing in the flour ¼ cup at a time until it forms a soft but not sticky dough. Don’t overwork the dough or you’ll end up with gummy and chewy gnocchi.
Divide the dough into 4 even pieces then roll those pieces out into a thick rope of dough. Cut that dough rope into small, bite-sized pieces then use a fork to form ridges across the gnocchi.
Boil the gnocchi until they float to the top and use a spider to transfer them to a bowl to serve with sauce.
Brussel Sprouts
Bubble & Squeak
Bubble and squeak is an old English dish, it’s classically made by deep-frying patties made out of coarsely mashed potatoes and chopped cabbage. Instead of cabbage though, you can use leftover Brussel sprouts.
Leftover mashed potatoes or roast potatoes roughly mashed
Leftover Brussel sprouts
Salt & pepper to taste
Lard for deep frying
Combine the potatoes, chopped Brussel sprouts, salt, and pepper in a bowl and use your hands to form a neat, little patty.
Heat the lard to 300°F and fry the patties on either side for 1-2 minutes until it develops a nice color then drain on paper towels.
Brussel Sprout Soup
Brussel sprout soup topped with crispy pieces of bacon is a wholesome way to use more than just one leftover after Christmas. Mixing any other vegetable you may have is a great way to boat nutrition and flavor for a soup like this. Sweet vegetables like carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, or pepper contrast the bitterness of Brussel sprouts really well.
Leftover Brussels sprouts
Chicken stock
Cream
Pieces of bacon, fried to a crisp
Fresh parsley
Heat the leftover Brussel sprouts in a hot frying pan and add around ½ a cup of chicken stock depending on how many sprouts you have. Use a blender to liquify the Brussel sprouts and add the chicken stock as needed until it forms a thick, smooth liquid (a little thicker than you like).
Add the cream and the parsley then pulse again until smooth with a thick, tomato soup consistency. Top with some sour cream and bacon bits to serve.
Brussel Sprout Sandwich
Obviously, Brussel sprouts sandwiched between to slices of toast isn’t very appealing, but the bitterness of the sprouts goes perfectly with something like sweet, honey-glazed ham or cranberry sauce. It also goes amazing in a toastie.
Leftover Brussel sprouts
Leftover turkey or ham
Bacon
Cranberry sauce
Stuffing
As you would with any other sandwich, toast the bread, spread the sauce over each side of bread then fill with the ingredients, and enjoy hot or cold.
Tips for Cooking Leftovers
Watch the Seasoning
When you’re cooking with leftover, you’re cooking with food that’s already been seasoned (hopefully at least), so adding just a little bit of salt can make the dish too salty. Taste everything you do before and after adding anything.
Careful not to Overcook
As the issue with over-seasoning, overcooking the leftovers can be just as much of an issue. Reheating a cooked piece of turkey can dry out really fast so watch for how hot your cooking.
Use as Many Contrasting Flavors as Possible
Contrasting flavors are sweet, salty, bitter, umami, and piquant (or spicy). If you’re making a sandwich with lots of savory ingredients like turkey, stuffing, bacon, or Brussel sprouts, contrast it with sweetness from something like cranberry sauce, honey glazed ham, or sweet, nutty cheese. This will keep all your dishes really interesting and super tasty.
