EVERY YEAR, YOU LOOK AT THE REMAINS OF YOUR HOLIDAY MEATS AND THINK “WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS?” You endure weeks full of the same old sandwiches and/or soups because you’re fresh out of ideas and energy to dream them up after planning and hosting your holiday extravaganzas. You long for something simple, tasty and different.
Well, take heart: two Orlando chefs have come to the rescue, providing these scrumptious ideas on how to elevate your holiday leftovers to restaurant-grade meals. You’re welcome.
Michael Dunton, executive chef at Rosen Shingle Creek, turns holiday ham leftovers into masterpieces.
Leftover Ham Ideas
Michael Dunton is the executive chef at Rosen Shingle Creek, in charge not only of the hotel’s restaurants but its catering arm. Between that and his heritage—he’s of Armenian and Italian descent, and food was always a big production in his family—he’s used to planning time-conscious meals that are scratch-made.
But making a scratch-made meal doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a lot of time in the kitchen, says Dunton.
“Scratch-made doesn’t have to be difficult,” he says. “It can be as simple as throwing a casserole together.”
In coming up with delicious leftover ideas, Dunton likes to incorporate any sides that may be leftover as well. With leftover ham and mashed potatoes, he dices the ham, breads it with the potatoes and fries it for ham croquettes. Leftover ham and rice can be paired for ham-fried rice.
Dunton also uses a popular Starbucks food item—egg bites—as an inspiration for a protein-filled snack.
“I use a small muffin mold and fill it with diced ham, spinach, egg and cream and bake it in the oven,” says Dunton. He also takes a page from his heritage and Shingle Creek’s Tuscan-inspired Cala Bella to create his own version of carbonara, a dish made with pasta, eggs, hard cheese and black pepper. Although the meat is typically fatty cured pork or bacon, Dunton likes to add diced ham alongside the bacon.
Additional suggestions from Dunton include introducing ham to your mac & cheese by layering in the ham between the pasta and the cheese, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and split pea, ham and bean soup. He likes to pair entrees with vegetables such as roasted mushrooms, grilled carrots and sweet potatoes.
Want to make your leftover ham stretch further? Dunton suggests slicing or dicing your ham, freezing it in small Ziploc bags and then pulling them out in the future for different uses.
Brandon Whitestone, partner and senior director of culinary at Alexandria Restaurant Partners, demonstrates how to make turkey tinga tacos at Café Tu Tu Tango.
Leftover Turkey Ideas
Brandon Whitestone is a partner and senior director of culinary at Alexandria Restaurant Partners, which owns Café Tu Tu Tango. The restaurant has been long known for its Cajun turkey, so we felt Whitestone was the perfect chef to talk fowl.
We know firsthand that cooking a juicy turkey is a tricky prospect, so we asked Whitestone his best tips on how people can ensure their turkeys don’t come out dry.
“When I cook my turkey at home, I cut the legs off and cook those separately,” says Whitestone. “Also, I try to pull the breast meat off at 145 or 150 (degrees) and then the residual heat brings it up to the temperature you want to have it at. I like the dark meat cooked to 190 (degrees) because you break down a lot of the collagen, and it becomes a lot more tender and fall-apart at that point.”
When creating meals from leftover turkey, Whitestone suggests options that bring more moisture back into the meat, such as curry, vindaloo and tikka masala.
“Tinga for tacos is really nice, or you can take the dark meat and simmer it with beer and taco seasoning,” says Whitestone. “I put it in a crock pot with barbecue sauce—anything that’s got that liquid element to it that lets it cook and put some moisture back into it.”
As far as dishes to pair your entrée with, Whitestone loves a good stuffing with brioche or challah bread and sausage, rosemary, carrots and onions. Sweet potatoes, he says, can be roasted or broiled with marshmallows and butter.
For drink options, Whitestone prefers a rosé, a Chardonnay or a Lambic with turkey.
“I like fruit-forward and a little more acidic balance,” says Whitestone. “But classic cocktails, such as Boulevardiers and old fashioneds, are always nice.”