Thanksgiving Leftovers Hash with Fried Eggs

If you cooked a holiday meal yesterday, it is safe to assume you have leftovers that may include turkey (or chicken or ham), herbs, gravy and chicken stock. We had some herb-roasted turkey breast, fresh herbs and gravy leftover. Here is the recipe of what I did with our leftovers today. I love a good breakfast hash that’s topped with fried eggs. There is something divine about runny yolks on slightly charred and crispy potatoes and onions. Granted this is not a diet recipe, but it’s still Thanksgiving weekend – so go ahead and indulge a little more.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Hash with Fried Eggs Recipe
Serves: 2
Time: 25-30 minutes (start to finish)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into small pieces (See note)
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup leftover cooked turkey, ham or chicken, cubed (See note)
2 tablespoons of leftover, gravy or chicken broth (See note)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan or asiago cheese
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of parsley for garnish

Notes:

• Cut the potatoes into really small cubes. This will reduce the cooking time significantly.
• Use whatever leftover cooked meat you have – turkey (white or dark meat), chicken (white or dark meat) or cooked ham.
• If you have gravy or chicken stock leftover, it’s great to use it to warm up the leftover meat without drying out the juices. If you do not have any left, just use some water.
• The bottoms of the potatoes (touching the skillet) will get dark brown, while you are cooking the eggs. Do not worry – the slightly charred taste is amazing!

Method:
1) In a 10 inch non-stick skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and jalapeno to the oil and cook till the onion is soft.
2) Now add the potatoes and stir them to coat them well with the oil. Add the chopped rosemary and thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally till the potatoes are fork tender. If the potatoes start to stick to the bottom, add a little more oil and stir them more frequently.
3) While the potatoes are cooking in a small saucepan heat the broth, gravy or water and add the turkey to it. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the turkey/chicken/ham is warm and slightly moist.
4) Once the potatoes are cooked, add the turkey/chicken/ham to the potatoes and toss everything together. Add the cheese and stir for 30 seconds.
5) Now make a nice even bed of everything in the skillet and break the eggs (one by one) on the hash. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Now uncover and complete cooking the eggs till the whites are fully formed and the yolks are still slightly runny (or to the doneness that you prefer). Season the eggs with salt and pepper once they are cooked.
6) Garnish with parsley and serve with a salad or leftover dinner rolls for a complete meal.

Thanksgiving Roast Turkey: Tips & Tricks

I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner in 2009, shortly after I got married. I have to admit the first year the thought of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, specifically the turkey terrified me. I had never cooked a whole turkey before and had also had the misfortune of eating several dry and flavorless turkeys.  I was anxious to say the least. I spent the months leading up to Thanksgiving reading several articles and watching videos on Turkey preparation tips on the internet. I also took Sur La Table’s Bon Appétit Culinary Series – All American Thanksgiving class, to get some hands on experience before cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner.

I was rewarded for my hard work – the first Turkey I cooked, was moist, juicy and bursting with flavor. The day after that Thanksgiving, I sat down and put together a list of notes, tips and tricks that detailed how I accomplished a finger-licking good Turkey. I have used that document every year and so far I have never had a Turkey that hasn’t won the hearts of the crowd at our Thanksgiving table.

Here is an amalgamation of my Turkey tips and tricks:

1) How much turkey per person: 1lb per person if you have a lot of sides and want minimal leftovers. You can increase this to 1 ½ lbs per person if you want more leftovers.

2) To Brine or Not to Brine: The answer is BRINE! Brining infuses flavor and moisture into the turkey, creating a juicy and  flavorful turkey.

3) Amount of time to Brine your Turkey: The rule of thumb I use for brining a turkey is 2 hours for every pound of Turkey.  So for a 14-15 pound Turkey we are looking at 28-30 hours of brining time.

4) Favorite turkey brine: There are several good brine recipes on the internet. Here is the recipe of the brine I used the first year and every year since then.

Neha’s Turkey Brine
Serving Size: 14-15lb turkey

Ingredients:
Water (Enough to cover the entire Turkey)
2 cups apple cider
¾  cup Kosher salt per gallon of water (Please pay careful attention to step 5 of the method)
¼ cup granulated sugar, per gallon of water
5 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1-2 habanero peppers, roughly chopped (You can also use 3-4 Jalapenos)
1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon red chili powder or cayenne
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon all spice berries

Method
1) Place the cleaned Turkey (giblets, neck and heart removed) in a large brining bag or pot large enough to hold the Turkey plus enough water to submerge the Turkey.
2) Use a clean and empty milk gallon or ½ gallon container to start covering the turkey with water. Keep track of how many gallons of water you use as this will determine the amount of salt and sugar you will add to the brine. Add the apple cider to the turkey as well. Make sure you have enough liquid (water + 2 cups of cider), covering the Turkey.
3) Now remove 5-6 cups of the liquid from the Turkey bag/pot and place it in a medium sized pot on the stove top. Bring it to a boil on medium high heat.
4) Keeping in mind how many gallons of water were required to cover the turkey, add ¾ cup of kosher salt + ¼ cup of sugar per gallon to the water on the stovetop.  For example if you used 5 gallons of water to cover the Turkey you will require the brine you are creating on the stovetop to have 5*3/4 cups of salt + 5*1/2 cups of sugar, i.e. 3 3/4cups of salt and 1 1/4 cup of sugar.
6) When the water is at a rolling boil add all the remaining ingredients into the pot (on the stovetop). Turn off the heat and mix everything well till all the sugar and salt has dissolved.
7) Now place this brine you have created in the refrigerator for an hour to cool completely.
8) Once it is completely cooled add the brined liquid over the turkey that has the remaining water and apple cider in it. Make sure the Turkey is well submerged and cover and place in the refrigerator.
9) After the turkey is brined (2hours per pound of turkey) remove the Turkey from the liquid and drain it well and use plenty of kitchen towels to pat it dry

5) Stuffing inside or outside the turkey:  OUTSIDE! You do not want the stuffing you are going to serve your guests to have touched the raw turkey cavity. Unless you are overcooking your turkey the inside skeletal cavity does not reach the temperature that is safe to eat stuffing that’s been exposed to it. Also a bread stuffing inside the turkey can suck moisture out of the turkey, leaving the it dry.

6) Aromatic stuffing:  Before roasting, stuff the Turkey cavity with large sprigs of thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic cloves and onion halves. Remember this is only for aromatics of the turkey and is not to be eaten.

7) To Truss of not to truss: Trussing a turkey refers to using kitchen twine to tie the turkey together before roasting it.  Trussing helps the bird cook more evenly and also ensures that you have a bird that looks better on the table. Keeping the legs and wings closer to the body, also ensures they have lesser chance to burn. I always use Alton Brown’s method to truss my Turkey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQB7D_xB0I

8) Infusing additional flavor: A flavored butter that goes under the skin is the final step I use to infuse even more flavors into my Turkey. I make sure the flavored butter has been on the Turkey for at least 36 hours before I roast it.  I use this Bacon-Herb Butter recipe every year:

Bacon, Dijon, and Herb Butter:
Recipe Adapted from Bon Appétit Roast Heritage Turkey with Bacon-Herb and Cider Gravy’s Recipe
Serving Size: 14-to-15 pound turkey

Ingredients:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature
6 ounces applewood-smoked bacon slices, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh thyme, chopped
¼ cup sage chopped,
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
¾ tablespoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
¾ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ tablespoon lemon zest

Method:
1) Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor, until the bacon is finely chopped.
2) Remove this butter to a sheet of plastic wrap. Using the wrap as an aid, roll the butter mixture into a 2 inch thick diameter log. This butter can be made 3 days ahead and kept chilled in the refrigerator.
3) 36 hours before you are going to roast your turkey, cut thin circles of butter from the log. Carefully slide butter slices under the skin, between the leg, thigh and breast to cover everything generously.

Use these tips and tricks along with the ones you’ve learnt over the years to create a roast turkey that is simply succulent and full of flavor. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have on these tips and tricks. Happy turkey cooking!