This year has been... different to say the least. Many of us are craving the comfort food that comes along with Thanksgiving, but without the large gatherings to help eat it all, we're stuck with more leftovers than ever. Luckily, these recipes are here to help! Whether it is for brunch or dinner, repurpose those leftovers in to something that tastes completely different, so you won't get too sick of them before they're gone! I hope you all have a safe Thanksgiving, and know that I am thankful for each and every one of you! |
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There is no brunch dish more iconic than eggs benedict. But, they are usually a lot of work. What if you didn't have to worry about hollandaise and finding Canadian Bacon and... By using both stuffing and mashed potatoes in the "cake" as the base, you get a combination of creaminess and sturdiness that is perfect in this dish. If you struggle poaching eggs, watch this video showing the easiest way to do it. | | |
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Serves 4 Ingredients: 3 cups leftover stuffing or dressing 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes 10 large eggs, divided Leftover turkey, for serving Leftover gravy, for serving Fried sage leaves, for garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed Canola oil, for frying Water for poaching Vinegar for poaching Procedure: Set oven to lowest temperature, or preheat warming oven. Mix together stuffing, mashed potatoes, and 2 eggs. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place approximately ¼” oil in a large skillet set on medium heat. When oil is hot (learn a hack for how to know when it is the correct temperature here), make “patties” from approximately ½ cup each of stuffing mixture. Place carefully in oil and cook until browned on one side. Flip and continue to cook until golden brown on the other side. Remove from skillet and place on a cooling rack set over a sheet tray (see why this is the best method here). Make sure that you do not overcrowd the pan, cooking in batches if necessary. Place pan in warming oven while you poach eggs. Gently reheat turkey and gravy. Set aside. Heat water in a large pan to a bare simmer. Add a splash of vinegar. Crack remaining eggs into a small bowl, one by one, and place in water. Cook until white is set and egg yolk is cooked to desired doneness. When eggs are almost cooked, place 2 stuffing patties on each plate. Top with warmed turkey. When egg is done, remove from water and place on top of turkey. Ladle gravy over the top of each egg and garnish with fried sage leaves, if desired. Serve. |
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Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin |
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If you simply cannot stand the thought of one more meal of turkey, why not try repurposing your cranberry sauce in to a glaze for pork tenderloin (or any other pork, for that matter). This does work best with whole cranberry sauce (I didn't try it with the jellied stuff). You could also use this glaze on any poultry, but if you are needing a break from all the bird, this is a great way to go! |
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Serves 3-4 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola, avocado, etc), divided 1 pork tenderloin, silverskin removed ½ cup small diced red onion (learn a trick to dicing an onion here) 2 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly ½ cup chicken or turkey stock (learn how to make your own here) ¾ cup prepared whole cranberry sauce 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Procedure: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When very hot, add pork tenderloin and sear all sides. Remove pork tenderloin from pan and place on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Return skillet to medium heat. Add remaining oil and onion. Cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add stock to pan, scraping up all brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce stock by half. Add cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. Return mixture to a boil. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Brush a thin layer of the sauce on the pork tenderloin and place in the preheated oven. Cook until meat reaches 145 degrees F (or to your desired doneness), approximately 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from oven, brush an additional layer of glaze on the tenderloin, loosely tent with foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Slice tenderloin into medallions and serve with remaining glaze on the side. |
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Possibly one of the hardest leftovers to repurpose is candied yams. You are pretty much stuck eating them as they are. Except you aren't! If you remove the marshmallow top, mash up a little of the potatoes with the liquid (not too much liquid though, or this won't work right), and mix it with pate a choux, you get something that tastes like a sweet potato churro. And how could that be wrong? If you have never made pate a choux before, it can seem daunting. But it is really very simple. The video below shows you how to make gougeres, but if you stop before adding the cheese and mustard in the video, you will see exactly how to make this dough. If you have trouble understanding how to shape them, it is similar to one way of doing gnocchi (I put the link below the recipe of a video where I do this). Fair warning, though: these things are ADDICTIVE!!! | | |
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Serves 4-6 as a side dish Ingredients: ½ cup water 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small pieces Pinch kosher salt ½ cup all-purpose flour 2-3 large eggs 1 cup mashed leftover candied yams (marshmallows removed) Canola oil, for frying Procedure: Preheat deep fryer or heavy pot filled with oil to 350-375 degrees F. Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the flour all at once. Turn heat back on medium and stir constantly in one direction until a film forms at the bottom of the pot and/or the dough makes a smooth ball. Remove from heat. If doing a double recipe (or more), you can transfer to a mixer with a paddle attachment at this point (I've found that under 4 eggs, mixers overmix and they don't puff right). Stir or mix on low speed until cool enough to not scramble the eggs. Add eggs one at a time (learn the best way to crack them here), stirring in only one direction with the spoon perpendicular in the pan (sounds weird, but trust me, it works better) until JUST mixed (do not overmix!). After the second egg is mixed in, take a little ball of dough between your finger and thumb. Gently pull apart. If it stretches without breaking, the dough is complete. If not, add more egg, a tablespoon at a time until it does stretch without breaking. Gently stir in mashed candied yams. Fill piping bag fitted with a large star tip with mixture. Pipe 1” strands into the preheated oil, using shears to trim. Be careful and get very close to oil before piping to avoid splashing. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a cooling rack set over a sheet tray. Serve warm. |
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Turkey "Meatloaf" Muffins with Mashed Potato "Frosting" |
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We all know you use breadcrumbs or soaked bread in traditional meatloaf. There is even a technical name for it when mixed with egg: a panada. Well instead of using some other bread, why not use stuffing? It's already moist and flavorful, and since the turkey is already cooked, you are essentially just heating everything up and cooking the eggs you add. The only prep involved is cutting up the turkey (try cutting it very small - remember you are trying to mimic ground meat here) and assembling. Perfect for a day where you Just. Can't. Even. in the kitchen for another minute, but don't feel like eating yet another batch of just reheated leftovers. Plus, the fun shape gets your mind off the fact that you're eating the same essential ingredients you have been eating all week! |
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Makes 6-8 muffins Ingredients: 3 cups very finely diced cooked turkey ¾ cup leftover stuffing or dressing 2 large eggs 1 ½ cup leftover mashed potatoes ½ cup grated cheese of your choice, divided Leftover gravy, for serving Procedure: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or place paper liners in 6-8 wells of a standard muffin pan (depending on how large you want the muffins). Set aside. Mix together turkey, stuffing and eggs in a medium bowl, making sure to “mash” together well. Divide mixture evenly between wells in prepared muffin pan. In separate bowl, mix together mashed potatoes and all but 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. Scoop, spoon, or pipe mixture on top of the turkey mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of mashed potatoes. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until tops of mashed potatoes are starting to brown, and turkey mixture is set. While muffins are baking, reheat gravy. When mashed potatoes are brown, remove muffins from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes to allow them to set. Remove from pan, drizzle with warm gravy, and serve. |
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Are you wishing you could hone your cooking skills? Looking for a fun way to have a get together while social distancing? Why not do a virtual cooking class? Both private lessons and group lessons are available, with custom menus based on what you want to learn. Email us at chefro@stirringisnotcooking today for more information! |
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