Turkey Hash, post-Thanksgiving

Reuse Thanksgiving leftovers to create something "new" and delicious. 

The day after Thanksgiving should be totally chill, full of football and family and leftovers. That is, unless you’ve steeled yourself to face the throngs at the malls and the Best Buys of the world. Me? I’ll take the couch.

Just like an easy, post-Thanksgiving lounge day, anything happening in the kitchen this weekend should be super low-key. Think socks and sweats easy.

Every year at our house, once it’s emptied of guests (usually Sunday night), we make turkey hash. We use up all the leftover turkey, plus the leftover gravy and any onion and bell peppers that didn’t make it into the dressing, and – voila – we’ve got perfect-for-winter, comfort food nirvana. In about 10 minutes. It’s a transformation of the beautiful day-of feast into something simple, warm and just plain good. The kind of thing that is great eaten from a bowl on the sofa in front of a football game or The Sound of Music.

And fitting into the low-key vibe, the recipe itself is chill. That is, there’s really not much of a recipe. It’s just a loose, taste-as-you-go kind of thing that basically depends on what you’ve got left in the fridge.

So pull on some fuzzy socks, light a fire and take a few minutes to make this yummy version of a Thanksgiving memory. It might taste even better the second time.

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Hash

This “recipe” is just improvisation: Use what you’ve got and don’t worry about the amounts. It’s good no matter what!

Ingredients: 

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 russet potato, chopped into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Leftover turkey, chopped or shredded
Leftover gravy or 2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Recipe directions: 

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, maybe a tablespoon or so. Add the potato and let it cook, without stirring, for several minutes until it starts to brown. Stir, and add the onion, green pepper, garlic and thyme. Let the vegetables sit untouched for several minutes so that the potatoes continue to get brown, then stir every few minutes. Once the potatoes are brown and the onion and pepper are soft, add the turkey. Stir it all together, then add the leftover gravy or butter. Stir to melt the gravy or butter and coat the turkey and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Give thanks that leftovers can be turned into something this good.