Turkey Hash
by Bruce Zabov
With the North American winter holiday season upon us I thought this would be a good time to go over a couple of possibilities for using the leftovers from what will likely include turkey as the featured main course in at least one of the dinners. Problem is the bird is rarely available here, when you do see it it is in limited supply and outrageously expensive though it is raised in the country. That aside, it can be a welcome variation and treat.
If you have freezer space, there are a couple of ways to compensate for this scarce availability. One is to buy as many birds or parts as you have space for and freeze them for periodic future use. Another is to prepare two or more birds, and cut up and freeze them for finishing up in various dishes later on.
Turkey is a poultry we see so little of here and it’s too bad, too, because it’s so packed with protein and flavor, there are a variety of ways to use it, and, cooked, it freezes well with no loss of flavor or quality when it is reheated. We tend to treasure the meat when we can find it.
And we certainly don’t want to toss the leftovers after the holiday feast is done. In view of this let’s look at a couple of ways to use them. Neither is labor intensive and both are different enough from the main dinner to be served fairly soon after — and remain appealing.
The first is the very simplest turkey hash. You simply saute a chopped onion in some butter, add some rosemary, 2 cups each of cooked, cubed turkey and white potatoes and form into patties. Saute in some butter until lightly browned on both sides. Serve as is or topped with a poached egg or two or some of the leftover turkey gravy.
The second involves a little more preparation but it is by no means daunting. And if you wish to add a more Oriental flair rather than retaining the original Yankee flavor, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce before serving.
Turkey Hash
Cook 1 cup white rice and set aside for 4-6 servings (noodles may be used as well)
3 TBS butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp fresh or dried rosemary leaves
2 C cubed, cooked turkey
2 C cubed, cooked potatoes
1 cubed, cooked carrot
1 C leftover turkey stuffing
2 C leftover turkey gravy
Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and saute chopped onion until soft and golden. Stir in the remaining ingredients, heat thoroughly and serve over the hot cooked rice or noodles. Serves 4-6.
Next Issue: Coconut Curry Shrimp
