It’s the same every year: You planned perfectly, buying a turkey just large enough to feed your Thanksgiving crowd. Ditto for cranberries, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and the other fixings. Yet, invariably you end up with leftovers.
Luckily, the cheese maker Cabot has shared some recipe suggestions that will help you clear out the part of your fridge that is currently home to Turkey Day remnants.
Cranberry Cheddar Pita Bites
Ingredients:
- 2 (8-inch) pita breads, whole-wheat or white
- 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce or chutney
- 5 ounces cheddar (Cabot recommends its own Horseradish Cheddar or Sharp Cheddar), grated (about 1 1/4 cups).
Directions:
- Place one oven rack in upper position and one in center position. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil.
- Cut each pita bread into eight 2-inch rounds with biscuit or cookie cutter. Split each round in two. Arrange on baking sheet and bake on center rack for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp and toasted.
- Adjust heat to broil. Top each toasted pita round with 1/2 teaspoon cranberry sauce and top with cheddar, dividing it evenly among them.
- Broil, carefully monitoring and rotating as necessary, for 30 seconds to 3 minutes or until cheese is evenly melted. Cool slightly before serving.
Yield: 32 bites
Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients:
- 4 cups diced cooked turkey
- 3 cups turkey gravy (thin with broth or water if needed)
- 1 cup additional diced cooked vegetables (such as carrots, onions, fennel, green beans, peas, or celery)
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 8 oz cold butter, cut into pieces
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups very cold lowfat 1% milk
Directions:
- In large saucepan, combine turkey, gravy and vegetables; stir over medium heat until hot.
- Transfer to 9-by-13-inch baking dish, making sure turkey is covered with gravy.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. 2.
- In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add butter and work into dry ingredients with pastry blender or fork.
- Stir in cheese. Gradually stir in milk.
- Turn dough out onto well-floured surface and knead gently (do not overwork). Roll out into 1-inch-thick layer.
- Cut out biscuits with round cutter or small glass.
- Arrange biscuits on top of filling. Place extra biscuits on baking sheet.
- Bake pot pie and biscuits for about 15 minutes or until golden.
Yield: 8 servings
Turkey, Two-Potato and Cheddar Hash
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (1/2-inch) peeled and diced sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 3 cups (1/2-inch) peeled and diced russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 4 cups finely chopped leftover cooked turkey
- 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- About 1/3 cup leftover turkey gravy, warmed
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
Directions:
- Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
- On large baking sheet with sides, toss together sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Tuck garlic cloves into corner of baking sheet.
- Roast potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender and lightly colored, scraping them up with metal spatula every 10 minutes to loosen and turn.
- When potatoes are done, remove garlic cloves from corner and chop/mash into puree; stir back into potatoes until evenly distributed. Cover potatoes with dish towel and set aside to cool.
- In large bowl, combine potato mixture, turkey, parsley and thyme, tossing gently to blend. Add just enough of gravy to moisten hash. Add cheese and toss again.
- Spread hash in large shallow (2-quart) baking dish or oven-proof skillet (Hash can be made in advance up to this point; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.)
