I know that at least half the people out there must have leftovers from yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner. Even if your strategy is to send some home with guests, there are inevitably some hangers on, stragglers from the feast that simply won’t leave.
My solution for turkey and sweet potatoes – not the marshmallow kind – is stew. That’s right, stew with a distinctive Caribbean flair. I start with a mixture of chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Simply saute that in coconut oil over medium high heat until wilted and starting to brown. Add in 2 chopped cloves of garlic, some paprika, jerk seasoning (if you have it – if not try a mixture of pumpkin pie spice, thyme and cayenne pepper).
There are no distinct measurements because this is an on-the-fly recipe, depending on how much turkey and sweet potatoes you have on hand.
After it all cooks together and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a splash of beer, wine, water or chicken/turkey stock to deglaze the pan. Stir well to get up all the brown bits. Add the leftover turkey and cook for several minutes to heat through. Then add in any leftover chunks of sweet potatoes or yams. Stir carefully so as not to break them up too much. You can add in chopped frozen spinach or baby green peas for color and texture.
If you can strip all the meat of the carcass, you can make a turkey stock. Simply simmer the bones for 12-24 hours and add a garlic clove or 2, along with a bay leaf. No need to get elaborate. You can freeze the stock in useable amounts, thaw and use during the winter months for soups and stews.
Happy e-x-t-e-n-d-e-d Thanksgiving!
Sandi,
What a great spin to put on Turkey and sweet potatoes!
I’d like to also suggest that you make Turkey Carcass Soup (we love calling it that)
That is boiling the bones down to make turkey stock with all the flavoring you suggest and maybe add some chicken seasoning herbs. Remove the bones and then add homemade noodles. Place them in the stock once it is cooked to perfection, then you have an amazing soup that people will start asking to come over for the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate with you.
Great suggestion Pamela.
My son is gluten intolerant, so we would leave out the noodles if he was sharing Turkey Carcass Soup with us. There are a variety of non-gluten noodles available now, which would work just fine too.
This sounds wonderful! Now all I need are the leftovers.
Sounds yummy Sandi…sadly I don’t have have any leftovers this year.
My grandson’s and I spent the holiday on the Gilf Coast with my sister and her family…they have the leftovers ( or did ) I heard they have already found solutions for those-yum, yum…
But…there is always next year !
Hope your day was special~
Leftovers are one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving. In years when we don’t have any leftovers because we have been at friend’s for the feast, I often make a mini Thanksgiving dinner the next day.