This is my submission for the CIA’s Top Turkey Recipe Contest for Thanksgiving leftovers. Enjoy.
Succulent herb roasted turkey, aromatic sage stuffing, piquant cranberry sauce, and crusty Italian bread; elements of a gut-busting Thanksgiving feast. A feast sure to take your belt out several notches with leftovers to spare. Relatives lay strewn about the couches groaning in a strange combination of pleasure and anguish while Brillat-Savarin rolls in his grave. After the Pepto Bismol has been quaffed and Tums chewed, my family looks forward to the glut of Thanksgiving leftovers that await us. Thanksgiving is a time of family, football, food and more than a little wine.
But what is Thanksgiving really about? Giving thanks. I’m thankful for the sandwich. I have grown up on the humble sandwich. Whether it was my dad’s chipped ham barbecue or my grandfather’s “Elvis” (peanut butter, banana, and bacon on toast), the sandwich holds a special place in my heart. During the family-driven holiday season it only seems fitting to me to elevate thanksgiving leftovers to the lofty pedestal of sandwich bliss.
It is within the context of my intense love of everything bread bound that I devised this kicked-up, game-day crowd pleaser. I set about using three turkey day staples: turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing. The result is a sandwich that does justice to the ingredients of the main event. The crispy sweet potato fries and cranberry mayonnaise provide a sweet foil to the savory sandwich, forming a meal that is sure to please even the most voracious beer-and-football piqued appetites.
Thanksgiving Panini with sage stuffing, Stilton mayonnaise and a piquant cranberry-balsamic reduction Continue reading
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