While the rest of the world is out fighting to fill their holiday shopping lists the day after Thanksgiving, I’d rather be home eating a turkey sandwich on toasted bread, with cranberry relish.
What to do with leftover turkey inspires as much passion and debate as how to roast the bird properly or what makes up the best stuffing. Sandwiches, tetrazzini, soups — they all figure in the conversation. For me, this year the answer is hash.
Hash, simply a dish of chopped ingredients fried up in a skillet, is endlessly adaptable, making it a smart vehicle for about any leftover from the Thanksgiving table. It usually is grounded with a meat (bingo, turkey) and a potato. If your potato element was mashed or casseroled, it won’t work so well in a hash. But if you had roasted sweet potatoes, chop them up. Parsnips would be excellent. If none of those is left from Thanksgiving, cook up a potato or two before starting in with the hash.
As for the rest, reach for whatever components survive the feast (or secretly stash away what you’ll want before dinner begins). Carrots and celery from the relish plate, some olives, too, for a garnish. Along with the tuber or root vegetable element, a steamed green vegetable would add color and freshness (green beans, broccoli, etc.). Some broth or gravy can moisten the whole. Finish it with a fried egg and the post-holiday ritual is complete.
The Friday-after hash
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 3 or 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup each, diced: carrot, celery
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed leftover turkey
2 cups cubed leftover sweet potatoes (sans marshmallows) or other tuber or root vegetable (such as parnsips)
1 cup cut-up green vegetable (such as green beans or broccoli)
Turkey broth, optional
1 tablespoon butter
3 to 4 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Chopped olives
Heat the oil in a large skillet; add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring as needed, until vegetables soften, 5 minutes.
Stir in the turkey, potatoes and green vegetable; cook until warmed through. Add a little broth to moisten the hash, if needed. Taste for seasonings.
Meanwhile, fry the eggs with the butter in another skillet as you like, sunny side up, over easy, etc.
Serve the hash with a fried egg atop each serving and sprinkled with the parsley and olives.
Nutrition information per serving (for 4 servings): 352 calories, 15 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 203 mg cholesterol, 27 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 524 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
