Thanksgiving Nachos Are The Answer To Your Leftover Woes
So it’s the day after Thanksgiving. You just spent a day cooking, eating, lazing, and needling your relatives on various issues of public policy. And now, because making exact portions for a big crowd of people coming over for a big meal is an inexact science, you probably have some leftovers on your hands: Some turkey, perhaps, and gravy or cranberry sauce. Maybe a sprinkling of brussels sprouts or some dollops of mashed potatoes? Perhaps a basket full of quickly-hardening rolls? Have no fear, my friend. You con’t have to cram all that into a sandwich, or try to whip up a batch of turkey Pad Thai. Do what I do: Make Thanksgiving leftover nachos.
There was a time in my life when I was obsessed with turning meals into nachos and nachos into meals. I made pot pie nachos (pie crust, mushroom gravy, vegetables and roasted chicken), Indian nachos (paneer, naan, raita), and Nacho waffles (jalapeno-studded waffles topped with cheese, salsa, and beans). But day after Thanksgiving nachos are perhaps my greatest triumph. Advantages: They take very little extra effort and they’re perfect for sitting around and snacking while watching football and/or a marathon of Scandal.
Here is what you do.Do you have some leftover rolls? If so, slice those suckers real thin and toast them up until they become sort of hearty chips. Those are the base of your nachos. (If you don’t have rolls, then a bag of tortilla chips is an acceptable substitute.) Then you take your leftover turkey and shred it a little, so there aren’t enormous slices of it. You know, sort of bite sized, topping-sized pieces. And you heat up whatever else you have going: Cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, you name it. Then you layer those aforementioned roll chips or tortilla chips with all the leftovers in your fridge. The only real trick to this leftover scheme is ratios: You want to make sure to have enough gravy/sauce to give the whole thing enough of a coating. (If you’re the kind who prefers more exact ingredients/instructions, Bon Appetit even has a slideshow for how to execute leftover nachos.) But other than that, you have a perfect leftover buster that’s delicious and handheld. You’re welcome.
