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Kurt Johnson
Thanksgiving has come and gone, but before the calendar flips into December let’s talk turkey one last time. Or, more specifically, give some food for thought to leftover turkey.
I heard about an interesting survey last week asking a question I had never heard posed quite that way. The question: What percentage of Americans prefer leftover turkey to the original version?
Hmmmm. That’s worth pondering, I thought, and based on the very small sample of feedback from my inner circle of family and friends I can tell you the guesses are all over the board. So what do you think? Is Tom Turkey better as an original dish, or reheated, perhaps sliced or diced into a unique recipe and dished up Take 2 the following day(s)?
For whatever reason my family only prepares turkey about once a year, for Thanksgiving, and always more than needed, so why not make the most of it? Not everybody likes leftovers, however, so I’ll go with 40 percent. Spoiler alert, the answer to this random, unofficial and completely unverified poll is at the end of this week’s rambling, so pick a number before you read on.
As for the entree itself, I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving leftovers. My mom made a killer casserole with turkey and all the trimmings, which she topped with dressing and baked in the oven, adding a crisp layer on top that gave the ensemble a whole new texture. Mom said she used no special ingredients, no secret family recipe, but the end result left an impression even all these years later. Something about preparing it that way blended all the flavors together, making each bite a smorgasbord of flavor. I could have eaten that dish each day for a week or more, but it was usually gone by the end of the weekend.
This year my wife and I headed back to Imperial, where my sister Lori generously hosted Thanksgiving dinner. It was terrific, with all my siblings (or in my case, my wife:-) contributing a side dish, salad or desert. I felt like a stuffed turkey myself after overindulging, but that’s been a part of this November gig since the pilgrims chowed down at Plymouth Rock.
Paula and I headed back to A-town that evening, so instead of leftover casserole we brought home several containers of the good stuff. I’m the leftover king in our house, so I indulged on Mr. Turkey and sides for several more meals, none quite as good as the first, in my opinion.
Apparently I’m in the minority, as this poll reported that 80 percent of Americans prefer the leftover version. Turkies.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
