Thanksgiving Leftovers: Yay . . . or Nay?

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

If you’re planning on cooking for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, you know the deal: Count on being in the kitchen and spending more time prepping, chopping, sautéing (and basting!) than usual. Thank goodness day-in and day-out meals don’t take such time, effort and work, right? Not to mention the sheer amount of dirty dishes at the end of the feast (thank you, dishwashers)!

And those perennial Thanksgiving leftovers … do you love ‘em or hate ‘em?

While quite a bit has been written about what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers, definitely on the yay side of the fence. And I don’t even need anything fancy to do with them. I’m perfectly fine with heating up a plateful of turkey, stuffing and potatoes in the microwave. If we’re lucky enough to have some mashed potatoes left, one leftover recipe that’s an all-time-favorite (thanks, Mom!) is potato-cakes. They’re as easy as cracking an egg into the container, sprinkling in some salt, pepper and dried parsley and shaping ‘em into patties. Roll each one in some flour or cornmeal and fry until golden. Now that’s some good simple eatin’, especially when paired with re-heated hot turkey and gravy.

Yep, mashed potatoes are one of our favorite Thanksgiving leftovers.

It’s hard to believe that potatoes were once thought poisonous when first introduced in this country. And they actually go back a long, long way: Cultivated by the ancient Incas, the potato is a member of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes and eggplants. While there are hundreds of varieties worldwide, potatoes are now widely accepted—and a favorite food of many. However, not-so-long-ago (in the 1850s) potatoes were considered food for animals, and it was the dedication of potato-lovers like Parmentier, an 18th century botanist who single-mindedly promoted potatoes, that helped get folks to accept this new and unusual veggie.

Now it’s all history—potatoes here, potatoes there. Instant mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes … we’re even used to getting potatoes from a box. In fact, my nephews just love mashed potatoes, but refuse to eat them unless they come from a box! And while mashed with gravy may be the ultimate treat, we also go for them baked, microwaved, boiled or fried. And while some folks shy away from them in the interest of carbs and calories, if you watch the butter and sour cream, one 6-oz. potato is really only 120 calories. Not only are potatoes satisfying, they’re quick cooking and the key to a fast meal.

That’s how we came up with our very own way to make potatoes the oven-shake-n-bake way.

Remember shake ‘n bake for chicken? While I haven’t used it lately for dinner, the whole idea of shaking then baking dinner is a fast and easy one that I love. Just the partial-secret delight of knowing that dinner is baking while you do other things is an idea that tickles my fancy. So whether you decide to toss these oven-baked crisps alongside some leftover turkey and gravy or decide to pair them with burgers on the grill or even some baked tofu, they are delish. Put ‘em in to bake and come back in half an hour—now that’s what I like.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 5 medium baking potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1/8 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese