Unbreaded

Recipe: Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich

Though we’re half a year away from Thanksgiving, we have a lot to be thankful for: health, family, happiness, sandwiches.  And though there’s no football on TV, why wait till November to roast up a turkey, tell a loved one you appreciate them, and get blind drunk at your grandmother’s house?

It doesn’t get much better than a hand carved roast turkey sandwich.  Hearty bites of thick-cut turkey breast, juicy and flavorful, are served up on lightly toasted rye bread with a smear of the rich and zesty natural gravy.  The result is the essence of comfort food, the unmistakable taste of home cooking, a far cry from the ordinary deli-cut turkey sandwich.

Ingredients

1 turkey breast on the bone
2-3 carrots
2-3 ribs celery
1-2 onions
3-4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp chopped sage
1 tbsp chopped thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions

Rough-dice the carrots, celery, garlic and onion in a food processor (or by hand), reserving approx 1 tsp of garlic.  Combine the garlic with the herbs and 2 tbsp olive oil into a loose paste.  Salt and pepper the entire breast, then rub with paste, making sure to press it under the skin.  Preheat the oven to 325.

In a roasting pan or large oven-safe sauté pan, sauté the veg in olive oil until it starts to brown.  Remove from heat and place turkey (skin side up) in the pan with the veg and add chicken stock.  Cover with aluminum foil.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes per pound, then remove foil, baste with pan juices and cook uncovered for approx 30-45 minutes until skin is golden brown. Once skin is browned, test internal temperature with a meat thermometer (should be 165) and allow to cool with foil loosely covering the turkey.

For true “Thanksgiving leftover” feel, allow the turkey to cool overnight in the fridge and make sandwiches the next day.