FOOD

Here Are 4 Easy Ways To Use Up Your Christmas Dinner Leftovers

Christmas is here! And for the spud lovers, christmas is when the spud can truly shine in its much-loved roasted form at the heart of the christmas dinner. Also, we can forget potatoes are incredibly affordable and are particularly handy when it comes to the task of cooking up some lovely festive leftovers – great for bulking out and complimenting the leftover ingredients or transforming roasties into a new dish! So here are 4 easy ways to use up your christmas dinner leftovers…

Boxing Day Bubble and Squeak

Ingredients

  • 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 400g brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 300g roast potatoes
  • 200g roast parsnips
  • 200g cooked chestnuts [optional]
  • 200g cooked carrots or mashed carrots and swede
  • 200g stuffing crumbled
  • 6 tbsp bread sauce
  • 75g butter, plus extra to grease

Instruction

  1. When you’re ready to make the bubble and squeak, preheat the oven to 200C. Boil up potatoes [allow them to chill before using] or cook the potatoes a couple of days ahead and chill them.
  2. Break up the boiled potatoes into a large bowl, roughly chop the sprouts, roast potatoes, parnips, carrots and chestnuts and combine into a large bowl, along with the stuffing and bread sauce. Mix all the ingredients well, also add in plenty of seasoning.
  3. Grease geneously a couple roasting trays with butter and press he bubble and squeak mixture firimly into the trays.
  4. Dot butter evenly over the top and cook for 40 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and crisp around the edges. Also the bubble and squeak is pipping hot throughout.

Festive Chips

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, slice
  • 250g brussels sprout
  • 1 carrot, peel and slice
  • 10 pigs in blankets, cut into half
  • oil
  • 500g frozen chips
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  1. While the the frozen chips are cooking – cook as per the packet instruction, slice the onion and brussels. Also cut the pigs in blankets in half.
  2. Place the pigs in blankets and onions into a pan and cook until everything begins to brown – make sure to stir often. [If the bacon separates from the sausages that okay!]
  3. Then add in the sprouts and stir to coat the flavour. [If the pan become dry, add a touch more oil]
  4. Frythe sprout for about 5 minutes and season well. Continue to stir everything is well combined and fry for a futher to minutes.
  5. Add in the carrots and cooked chips.
  6. Continue to stir everything together and ensure that everyhting is hot throughout.
  7. Then serve!

Christmas Leftover Salad

Ingredients

  • 4 cups christmas dinner leftovers – 6turkey, ham, veg, etc
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 200g kale
  • 2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts [optional]
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds [optional]

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Put the christmas leftovers and dried cranberries into a frying pan with a drizzle of oil or butter, as well as the honey and fry gently over medium heat [make sure to stir regularly] until it’s warmed throughout.
  2. Place the kale in a bowl, the warm leftovers and top with pomegranate seeds and chopped hazelnuts.
  3. To make the dressing, pour all the ingredients into a jar with a lid. Then shake vigorously until they have all combined.
  4. Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients and serve immediately.

Christmas Nachos

Ingredients

  • 4 sausages
  • 6 rashers streaky bacon
  • 200g tortila chips
  • pinch of sugar
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 200g cooked turkey, chopped
  • 100g cranberry sauce
  • 150g melted cheese
  • 1tsp olive oil
  • Small bunch of sage, leave picked

Instructions

  1. Mix together the onion, lime juice, sugar and a generous pinch of salt into a small bowl. Once combined, set it aside.
  2. Heat up the grill to a meduim-high and line a large baking tray with foil. Then squeeze the sausagemeat from skin and roll into small meatballs [approx, 5-6 sausages] and arrange over the tray and grill for about 8-10 mins – turn halfway through cooking – and continue to cook until browned and cooked through. When cooked, place into a dish and set aside.
  3. Arrange the bacon on the same baking tray and grill until crisp, approx 5 mins on each side. Then put on a plate and leave to cool. Turn off the grill and set the oven to 200C.
  4. Get rid of any juice or fat from the baking tray, but don’t wash it. Spread half the tortilla chips over the tray, top half the sausages balls, turkey, cheese and few blobs of cranberry sauce. The scatter the rest of the tortilla chips, sausage, turkey sauce and cheese on top and bake for 15 mins or until the cheese has melted.
  5. In the meantime, heat a drizzle of oil in a pan over a medium-high heat and fry the sage leaves until crisp. Serve the nachos scattered with the pickled red onions, fried sage leaves and crumbled crispy bacon.
  6. And serve!

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