Turn Leftover Turkey into Gourmet Sandwiches

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

After Thanksgiving turkey can get kind of boring, but this year avoid the same old turkey sandwich with mustard and mayonnaise and try a little something different   Make your own sandwich spread and top with delicious cheeses like Grafton cheddar or goat cheese and you will never know you are eating leftovers.  I have some favorite combinations, but get creative with your own.   Purchasing good quality breads from your local bakery can make all the difference – kalamata olive loaf, ciabatta, or delicious foccacia all make excellent sandwiches.
For more of my recipes visit my website www.genaknox.com

Turkey, Cranberry, and Blue Cheese

PREP TIME  10 minutes
YIELDS  4 servings

1 cup cranberry sauce
¼ cup Dijon mustard
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 2/3 cup)
3 cups loosely packed arugula
16 ounces of sliced turkey
8 slices of ½ inch thick ciabatta bread, toasted

FIRST In a small bowl, whisk together cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard.  Evenly divide cranberry spread among 8 pieces of toasted ciabatta.

LAST Layer blue cheese, turkey and arugula on 4 slices of ciabatta.  Top with the other slices of bread and serve.

Turkey CranbBrie Sandwich a perfect use for leftovers

Turkey, Apple, and Cheddar Open Faced Sandwich
Recipe from Gourmet Make Simple by Gena Knox

PREP TIME 5 minutes
COOK TIME 5 minutes
YIELD 4 servings

SANDWICH
4 large slices ciabatta bread, cut ½-inch thick and toasted
12 ounces smoked turkey
1 Granny Smith apple, halved, cored, and sliced thin
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

APPLE SPREAD
½ cup apple butter
¼ cup Dijon mustard

FIRST Preheat oven 500°. Combine apple butter and mustard in a small bowl.  Spread 1½ tablespoons onto each piece of bread and top with 3 ounces of turkey. Layer apple slices on top of the turkey and finish with cheese.

LAST Bake just until the cheese melts and the edges begin to brown, about 3 minutes.

Turkey and Artichoke Sandwich

I love using this spread in place of mayonnaise – spread on two slices of kalamata olive bread, top with turkey and oven roasted roma tomatoes and serve.
Quick Artichoke Spread
PREP TIME  5 minutes
YIELDS  3 cups
1 clove garlic, peeled
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup shredded, good quality Parmesan
2 – 16 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

FIRST  Puree garlic, basil, and Parmesan in a food processor.  Add artichoke hearts and lemon juice and pulse until smooth.   With motor running, slowly add olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.