There’s nothing funny about turkey sandwiches.
Why do we laugh about turkey sandwiches? I love them and let’s face it, after that huge Christmas lunch, I really don’t feel like cooking anything complicated again for a while. Throwing together a really delicious sandwich is a great way to get rid of some Christmas leftovers and contrary to popular belief, they don’t have to be boring!
I tend to keep some interesting breads in the freezer for the post-Christmas sandwich-making frenzy. Pumpernickel works brilliantly with fish – and there’s bound to be some smoked salmon left in the fridge. Just add some salad leaves, a splodge of sour cream or soft cheese, squeeze over some lemon juice and finish with black pepper. Sour dough is gorgeous toasted, spread thickly with leftover pate and a spoonful of chutney. And we always have a version of Croque Monsieur – a spin on the French dish of grilled cheese and ham on toast. It puts the last bits of the ham joint and the remains of the cheeseboard to good use. But my favourite is the Roast Lunch baguette, split and filled with the remnants of the Christmas feast – stuffing, bacon-wrapped sausages, turkey, roasted veggies, cranberry sauce, and several wedges of stilton… I have even been known to souse it in gravy.
Of course, sandwiches only take care of some of the Christmas leftovers. However tired I am after the big day, I do have to provide everyone with a hot meal at some point. An easy supper dish that can be thrown together, is savoury rice. I break up the stuffing into nuggets, chop up some turkey and ham and any leftover cooked veggies and chuck it all in with some wild rice or steamed cous-cous. I might fish about in the fruit bowl for the last apples and pears and toss them in as well. The same ingredients could be rolled up in ready-made pancakes from the freezer, covered with a cheese sauce and baked. And of course they would be delicious cold in wraps for lunch with a bit of salad or coleslaw.
Using up cooked meats calls for a bit of creative thinking if the kids aren’t gong to get bored. Thin slices of ham, beef or turkey can be stuffed and rolled, which makes a quick supper with bread & butter. I grate any odd bits of cheese and mix it up with some mashed potatoes, any leftover roast squash, and maybe a spoonful of pesto for a delicious filling. Macaroni cheese is also a favourite, with added chopped ham and sausages. And the other crowd-pleaser is a Christmas pizza. Raid the fridge and let the kids turn the leftovers into their own gourmet toppings!
For the grown-ups, a wickedly indulgent treat is fried Christmas pudding for breakfast, which is amazing with crispy bacon. Or a steaming hot mince pie topped with a hefty wodge of stilton. (I try not to think about my expanding waistline until January 1st.)
If I’m not sure what to do with it, I use the freezer to store leftovers until I’ve decided how best to use them up. Having said that, there isn’t much that doesn’t go into my Christmas soup. A huge cauldron that bubbles away merrily with all the bits and bobs of our Christmas dinner in it and a generous slug of brandy. Just the thing for a cold New Year’s Eve…
