Thanksgiving dinner is cool and all, but let's face it, Thanksgiving leftovers are really what make the holiday great.
Since you'll probably be eating turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for two weeks after Thanksgiving anyway, we checked in with 15 Valley chefs and restaurant owners to see how they like to use up their leftovers.
See also: "Turducken Ridiculous" Contains Kangaroo, Emu and 18 Other Meats. Really. Julie Moreno - Owner, Jewel's Bakery and Café My family just loves my gluten free pizza shells topped with cranberry sauce, leftover turkey, sliced thin, and Munster cheese. This pizza is amazing. You can add dressing and any leftover. Anything covered with cheese, baked like a pizza is great.
Brian Konefal - Chef/Owner, Coppa Cafe I love to make a casserole. One pan, easy clean. Layer potato purée, then cranberry sauce with sweet potato mash, then turkey with gravy, cover with more purée, and pile on any green beans or Brussels. Top with the stuffing so it gets slightly crispy while baking, and cook until it bubbles.
David Miles - Executive Chef, Red Embers Bar & Grill My favorite leftovers meal growing up was always the Thanksgiving sandwich. Nothing goes together like sourdough bread, cranberry sauce and turkey. I also enjoy turkey noodle soup. Something about late November screams soup to me.
Chris Hove - Owner, Perfect Pear Bistro It's always turkey soup with wild rice. The day after, we make turkey tacos using stuffing, mashed potatoes, and turkey with all of our standard taco bar fixings. Salsa, avocado, cheese, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and red onion.
Christopher Collins - Chef/Owner, Grassroots Kitchen & Tap First and foremost is to make a beautiful stock from the leftover Turkey bones and bits. From there, we turn leftover roasted butternut squash into bisque by pureeing the leftovers and adding turkey stock and cream. No other ingredients needed. My father is famous for making "Next Day Turkey Pot Pie" and pretty much every chunk of meat and vegetable from dinner is thrown into the dish. The exact recipe changes every year, but I always look forward to a heaping spoon full.
Kody Harris - Executive Chef, Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill My mom always made turkey tetrazzini, and my dad made hash out of the dark meat. Nothing unique, just really good.
Christopher Gross - Executive Chef/Owner, Christopher's and Crush Lounge A variation of Hachis Parmentier. This was a staff dinner we would have every week in a restaurant I worked at in Paris, a dish specially designed for leftovers. The classic dish is to grind whatever leftover cooked meat there is, and put basically mashed potatoes and cheese on top and bake it. I would take leftover turkey, chop it up a bit, add a little sautéed garlic and chopped onions. Plus mix in a little leftover gravy, then make a layer in the bottom of the casserole and top with mashed potatoes mixed with some stuffing and a little cheese. And bake it.
Chef T - Chef, Sage Kitchen In my house, we take the leftover turkey and lots of fresh veggies and use it to create a soup base. We use the leftover stuffing, roll it into balls, bake them until slightly crispy, and float the stuffing balls in the soup like a holiday version of chicken and dumplings. With the leftover vegetable roast, I like to slice it thin, brush it with homemade ketchup and bake it on top of my favorite bread. It's like a vegan "meatloaf" sandwich.
Cullen Campbell - Chef, Crudo I like to make turkey gnocchi, croquettes and pancake sandwiches, but I also really like to slap the leftovers on bread with a little aioli.
Patrick Karvis - Executive Chef, TapHouse Kitchen I love a good sandwich, so I always make myself a turkey, smoked ham, stuffing and mashed potato sandwich the next day for lunch and dinner. It's great!
Jeffrey Amber - Chef, Forge Pizza Pot pie is always good, but I like all the fixings served open-faced over sourdough bread
Joey Maggiore - Chef/Owner, Cuttlefish Turn leftover potatoes into a fantastic warm smoked potato salad. I save the pan drippings from the smoker and add to chopped potatoes with fennel, crispy pancetta, mayo, and mustard. If I have some good bread on hand, I'll make a smoked turkey panino with warm stuffing and cranberry jam pressed on focaccia, with a side of that potato salad.
Joey Bruneau - Executive Chef, Nabers Turkey, spinach, and sour cream enchiladas, and turkey tamales.
Miles Newcomer - Executive Sushi Chef, Sushi Roku Well, of course, there is the "Thanksgiving Stack." Where you literally put a little leftover everything in between two buns, pour a little gravy on top, and dynamite! If you have leftover mashed potatoes, there's always croquettes, but what I really like to do is lay stuffing in a half-inch layer over a cast iron skillet. Lots of butter so that you get the bottom super crispy. Give it a flip and repeat. It's kind of like a stuffing hash brown.
Jared Porter - Chef/Owner, The Clever Koi I'm a fan of the turkey hot brown. It's kind of a Southern thing. It consists of really crusty bread topped with mashed potato, leftover turkey, gravy, and egg, then baked like a casserole. Really good!
