We know, Thanksgiving was a few days ago. But if you hosted a 25-pound turkey and a table of 15, and no one went home with a goodie bag, we bet you still have a few half-eaten casseroles in the fridge. Enter: Rue Foodies and Food52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, who have these eight easy-to-whip-up recipes starring two-day-old mashed potatoes, turkey, and stale bread. Sounds delicious, right? Just you wait.
Photos by James Ransom, Sarah Shatz, and Linda Xiao
1. Turkey Pho by winnieab
“Anyone who knows pho knows that it’s all about the broth. This recipe calls for turkey leftovers (meat and stock, which should really be homemade for this) to coax the most out of this soup. It also calls on warm, toasted spices – coriander, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon – to amp up the broth.”
2. Sweet Potato-Cornmeal Sandwich Loaf by Nicholas
“Bonus points if you use this loaf for your turkey sandwiches.”
3. Roasted Carrot Soup by Reeve
“When we first tasted this soup, we were puzzled. How could a dish that calls for only seven ingredients (not counting salt and pepper), and just five simple steps, be so complex in flavor? It’s dairy-free, but supple and creamy, and roasting the carrots gives them sweet, earthy depth.”
4. Butternut Sage Scones by mrslarkin
“These scones are incredibly moist, perfumed with sage and squash, and as sweet as you want them to be depending on whether you opt for the cinnamon drizzle.”
5. Turkey Pot Pie for Another Day by Jennifer Ann
“This is the perfect way to use up turkey leftovers. Just simmer all of the goodness together on the stove, then transfer to a casserole, top with puff pastry, and bake.”
6. Don’t Hold the Anything Breakfast Bread Pudding by aargersi
“You’ll never have to worry about picking sweet or savory at breakfast again. This bread pudding combines the best of both worlds.”
7. Sour Cream Dinner Rolls by AntoniaJames
“These rolls are complex and layered in flavor because they use a combination of several different starches (including mashed potatoes), and they’re enriched by the dairy fat from the sour cream and butter.”
8. Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie by Gena Hamshaw
“Let’s face it: Even the easiest of shepherd’s pies can feel like an undertaking. To make this recipe more accessible, make everything except for the sautéed vegetables in advance. Then sauté, assemble, and bake just before dinner.”
Pull back the tin foil. Our Sunday Supper: Heat Up the Leftovers Boutique opens Sunday, December 1, at 11AM ET.
By Julia Ivins, Staff Writer
Not a Member and like The (Style) Guide? You’ll love Rue La La. Join now.
Before she and Merrill started Food52, Amanda Hesser was a reporter at the New York Times and the food editor at Times Magazine. She wrote the award-winning books Cooking for Mr. Latte and The Cook and the Gardener, and edited the essay collection Eat, Memory. Her last book, a Times bestseller and the winner of a James Beard award, is The Essential New York Times Cookbook. Amanda is a trustee of Awesome Food and an adviser to The Spence Group.
Merrill Stubbs graduated from Brown and Le Cordon Bleu. She went on to work at Cook’s Illustrated and behind the counter at Flour Bakery in Boston’s South End. In addition to her work with Amanda on The Essential New York Times Cookbook, Merrill has written for the Times‘s T Living, Edible Brooklyn, and Body+Soul, and she was the food editor at Herb Quarterly. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
