Weekend Cooking: Using Up That Leftover Turkey

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A few Thanksgivings ago, I wrote about my love of the cookbook Culinary Classics & Improvisations by Michael Field. It's one of my go-to books for company meals and for using up leftovers (the "improvisations" of the title). As I said in my earlier post, I'm not sure this cookbook is still in print, so look for it at a used-book store.

In 2010, I shared one of Field's ways to transform your turkey leftovers into a yummy dinner. Today, I'm going to post another favorite poultry recipe from the cookbook. It's a great way to perk up your holiday weekend meals.

The following recipe was originally written for chicken, but it works beautifully with turkey. I have substituted milk for the cream with no problems, so don't worry if you don't have cream. I've added a few notes in brackets and have pared down the directions a little (Field is pretty chatty).

Gratin of Roast Turkey in the Style of the Savoie
 Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons softened butter (3 for roux, 1 for topping)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup white wine [use extra stock if you don't have this]
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream [or milk]
• 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• Salt to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 4 to 6 substantial pieces of cold roast turkey

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan [over medium-high heat], and when it is completely melted but not brown, mix in, off the heat, the flour. Stir this roux until it is smooth, then pour in the stock and wine. Whisk until the roux has somewhat dissolved, return the pan to the heat, and cook, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer as slowly as possible for about 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon every now and then. The sauce should be quite thick. Then thin it with a 1/2 cup of cream; if it is still too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce runs sluggishly off the spoon when it is lifted from the pan. Add the tarragon, salt, cayenne, mustard, and cheese and stir until well combined. Simmer a moment or two to melt the cheese and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary.

Choose a shallow baking dish that is just large enough to hold the turkey in one layer and attractive enough to serve from at the table. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan and arrange the turkey pieces, skin side up. Sprinkle each piece very lightly with salt, then with a large spoon coat the pieces thoroughly, one by one, with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter.

Bake in the center of a 375F oven for about 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble and the turkey is heated through. Slide it under the broiler to brown the surface lightly, then serve at once.

Happy holiday weekend to all my US readers!