The Thanksgiving Leftovers Remix

Ah, Thanksgiving. There’s almost too much to love about the quintessentially American holiday. The incredible food, the family time, the football. The pie, the chilly weather, the epic post-meal nap. These are rightly celebrated. There’s one aspect of Thanksgiving that we think deserves more love than it gets though: the leftovers. The delicious, endless leftovers. But rather than give you a generic guide to turkey sandwiches, we thought we’d offer something a little more compelling this year. Without further ado, we’re pleased to present our Thanksgiving Leftovers Remix: creative ideas to up your leftovers game the day after the day.

Leftover Latkes
Latkes, the deliciously shallow-fried potato pancakes, have been a staple of Middle European cuisine for centuries. The Leftover Latke lets you repurpose your mashed potatoes in order to create these crispy, delicious treats. Serve with the traditional sour cream or applesauce, and never allow another bland hash brown to darken your breakfast plate again.

Recipe

Turkey Corn Chowder
A favorite in my home because it uses virtually every kind of leftover available, turkey corn chowder is a hot, seasonal, and delicious way to make sure the Thanksgiving bounty doesn’t go to waste. The most efficient remix on this list, turkey corn chowder makes use of roasted vegetables, stuffing, corn, and deliciously lean turkey (to assuage at least some of the guilt), a leftover powerhouse that’s easy to make and appreciated by all. Who isn’t going to appreciate a hot bowl of this creamy, delicious soup when it gets cold outside? Plus, you know, bacon.

Recipe

Stuffed Scones
The Stuffed Scone takes everything I love about my Thanksgiving meal -- turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans -- and tucks it into a warm portable pouch of deliciousness. They are like Hot Pockets, if only Hot Pockets were deliciously melty, flavorful, and 100% homemade. Set these puppies in a basket, put them on your gameday table, and watch them disappear in moments. Feel free to get creative, too; in my experience, the weirder the leftover additions to the Stuffed Scone, the better they taste (i.e. don’t be shy with the cranberry sauce).

Recipe

Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla
The quesadilla is essentially the perfect food item: a foldable circle of cheese that gracefully assimilates additional ingredients from carne asada to (you guessed it) thanksgiving turkey. We like our strata thusly: tortilla, cheese, turkey, stuffing, cheese, tortilla. (We’ll give you a moment to wipe the drool from your device. Ok, let’s continue.) The quesadilla by itself is delicious as-is; when you add a side of cranberry cream (a simple mixture of sour cream and that jiggling brick of seasonal flavor), you’ll be transported to a different place, one where you’ll wish every day was the day after Thanksgiving. Cut into eight wedges or fold and go for broke.

Recipe