Let's be honest. As much as we all wax on about the Thanksgiving spread -- turkey-heavy menus with potatoes regular and sweet, plus stuffing, green beans and piespiespies -- what we really look forward to is the after-party.
When no one's paying attention, we can get back into the kitchen and make what we want with the leftovers. A sandwich like no other, with all the good stuff. (Steamed cauliflower, we're not talking to you.)
Turns out, Dallas' chefs are just like us when it comes to putting together a leftover-turkey sandwich. They go for the nostalgic, the simple and the just plain weird.
Let's get that turkey in the oven, so we can eat it once, then wake up and eat it again. Who's with me?
By Ellise Pierce, Special Contributor
Taylor Kearney, chef at Front Room Tavern
Monte Cristo-style sliders
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Kearney is from Caddo Mills in East Texas, where his divided family means that he gets Thanksgiving turkey two ways: fried and roasted. "I have a huge family, so if there's any turkey left, it's generally from the fried turkey. Plus, the skin is amazing," he says. Kearney makes a Monte Cristo-style slider with his leftovers, along with a secret ingredient. "The whole idea is the salty, the sweet, the savory," Kearney says.
Whisk 2 large eggs with 1/2 cup flavored coffee creamer (Kearney likes french vanilla or hazelnut), along with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Split 6 Hawaiian rolls, and add: a slice of leftover turkey, a slice of cornbread dressing, and top with a spoonful of Cheez Whiz. Dip the sliders in the egg mixture and fry in butter in a skillet on both sides until browned. Serve with canned cranberry sauce on the side. Makes 6.
Stephen Rogers, chef-owner at Gemma
Chicken salad, but with turkey
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Rogers makes everything from scratch at his Dallas restaurant, Gemma, but Thanksgiving's another story. It's usually at one of his relatives' homes in Dallas, and if he can, he avoids the kitchen until much later in the day, when it's time to do something with the leftover turkey. "I make a chicken salad, but with turkey," he says.
Chop leftover turkey into small chunks. Put 2 to 3 cups turkey in a bowl along with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise ("Hellmann's -- I don't make my own," he says), the juice from 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste and maybe a celery stick if one's around, chopped fine. Serve on a baguette. Makes 4.
Danyele McPherson, corporate chef at Remedy and HG Supply Co.
Turkey sandwich stuffed with stuffing, cheese, mashed potatoes and potato chips
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Growing up in Ohio, McPherson's Thanksgivings included Midwestern-style stuffing, made with -- in her family's case -- Sunbeam white bread, which also plays a starring role in her leftover-turkey sandwich. "We didn't have fancy stuff growing up," she says. "It's not gluten-free and it's not anything that's good for you at all. I think the beauty of this sandwich is I'm using exactly what's left over and I'm not trying to 'chef' it up." Tip: "The key is to make sure the bread is toasted because if it's not, the sandwich is just a big pile of mush," McPherson says.
Take 2 pieces of Sunbeam white bread and toast them in the toaster. In the microwave, reheat the leftover turkey. Then, separately, also in the microwave, reheat the mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. On one piece of the toasted white bread, layer: a slice of stuffing, some turkey, and sliced or grated cheddar. On the other piece of toasted bread, spread a spoonful of mashed potatoes and sprinkle with potato chips. Put both pieces under the broiler or toaster oven until the cheese melts. Join the two sides together so it makes a sandwich and dip into the gravy. Makes 1.
Chad Houser, executive director and chef at Cafe Momentum
Turkey-cranberry-mayo sandwich
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Even though he grew up in Allen, Houser spent a lot of time in Pleasant Grove as a child because his mother grew up there. It's also where he spent some of his Thanksgivings. Although now, with family scattered all over the Dallas area, it might be held at any one of a number of different relatives' homes. Like always, though, it's a structured affair. "Everything is based around when the Cowboys play," he says. "You eat, you watch the Cowboys, you take a nap." Then, it's turkey sandwich time -- and as plain as you can get. "My grandfather drove a bread truck for Mrs. Baird's bakery for 30 years, and white bread was always a staple," Houser says. "[The bread] has to be soft and squishy."
Today, his leftover sandwich still calls for 2 slices of Mrs. Baird's white, along with a few pieces of leftover turkey, a slice of cranberry sauce (the canned Ocean Spray kind), and a swipe of Hellmann's mayo. Serves 1.
Justin Fourton, owner and pitmaster at Pecan Lodge
Turkey sandwiches with pickles and cranberry sauce
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Fourton spent most of his Thanksgivings at his family's place in Abilene, the restaurant's namesake, but now he and his wife Diane host a dinner at their place for friends and family in Dallas. Turkey's on the menu, but there's also ham and tenderloin plus Diane's family recipe for homemade yeast rolls, which he uses to make his leftover turkey sliders. "One of the key things for me is Duke's mayonnaise," he says. "I went to school at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and it's my favorite mayo, with a little bit more lemon and a little more salt than the others."
Split 4 yeast rolls in half, and spread Duke's mayonnaise on one side of each one. Add sliced turkey, some cornbread stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce*, cheap hamburger dill pickles, plus a lot of cracked pepper. Makes 4.
* "We make it with fresh cranberries, a bunch of sugar, a little bit of allspice and nutmeg, a little bit of orange zest and cranberry juice and cook it over medium-high heat until the cranberries start to pop open a little bit."
Erin McKool, owner of Start
Bacon-turkey-pesto panini with mac and cheese
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At their ranch outside of Dallas near Waxahachie, McKool and her husband host a small Thanksgiving celebration each year for immediate family. She makes everything -- turkey, mashed potatoes (sweet and regular), and mac and cheese, using Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese recipe, as well as their cheese, which she orders from Seattle. For McKool, leftovers are as easy as heating up one of three panini presses she keeps on hand, so everyone can make their own warm and crispy sandwich.
Fry 2 pieces of applewood smoked bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Shred and heat about 1 cup of leftover turkey in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Warm the leftover mac and cheese in the oven or toaster oven. Spread some prepared pesto on the insides of 2 pieces of sourdough bread. On one side of the bread, layer: a small handful of leftover baby spinach leaves from the spinach salad, slices of applewood smoked bacon, and warmed turkey. Add a spoonful of the mac and cheese, sprinkle a little more cheddar on top, and some thin slices of green apple. ("The green apple I like on top because it's the first thing you bite into," she says.) Generously pepper. Put on the panini press and warm until the bread is toasted. Serves 1.
