Oh, the aftermath of Thanksgiving.

Cluttered kitchen counters. Food everywhere. Every pot you own is dirty.

But, that mess represents an exciting opportunity to save money, if you adopt the thinking of retired renown Tightwad Gazette author Amy Dacyczyn of Leeds.

“Leftovers are fast food,” Dacyczyn said. “The ingredients are already cooked. You just have to combine them.”

She gets three or four meals out of the Thanksgiving bird.

“It is mostly about persistence and creativity to use up all the food,” she said. Experts say many Americans waste 20 percent of the food they buy. “So when I have a meal that creatively uses leftovers normally tossed by most people, it feels like ‘free food,'” Dacyczyn said.

Her top frugal leftover rule: Start by buying big.

Amy’s husband, Jim, is the hunter, scouring sales looking for the best price. Jim doesn’t stop until he finds a 20-plus-pound turkey. Because turkey prices are the lowest at Thanksgiving, that big turkey is a bargain. And cooking big isn’t much more work and leaves plenty for leftovers.

Turkey pot pie is eaten after Thanksgiving in the Dacyczyn home. “This is our No. 1 favorite use of turkey,” she said.

Many of the leftovers go into the pie: turkey, vegetables, gravy. Only a few new ingredients are needed, like pie crust.(See her recipe for the details.)

Using leftovers for pot pie is so cheap and so delicious, it disappears fast.

The second favorite Dacyczyn family Thanksgiving leftover meal: turkey soup. This finds a use for the carcass and feeds a lot — again, with only a few added ingredients.

Thanksgiving guide

Dacyczyn shared her hand-written guide to making the most of leftovers. For instance:

Turkey — in addition to pot pie and soup, how about turkey crepes, turkey salad sandwiches, turkey croquettes,
turkey gravy on biscuits, turkey casserole, turkey tetrazini, turkey hash and pilaf with turkey. 

Gravy — use it for pot pie, gravy on biscuits, soup thickener.

Stuffing — topping for casseroles or pot pie; make it into patties.

Mashed potatoes — potato bread dough, soup thickener, potato patties, shepherd’s pie and topping for pot pie.

Baked potatoes — Home fries, potato salad, pot pie and stew.

Veggies — Soup, pot pie, casseroles, quiche.

Cranberry sauce: Muffins, quick breads, Jello salad, add to mixed fruit pie.

A final bit of wisdom: Dacyczyn acknowledges even the most die-hard penny-pincher may say enough is enough. To avoid turkey-eating fatigue, pack some away in the freezer for
another week. “There’s no need to eat turkey seven days straight,”
she said.

Super easy gourmet leftovers? Gobble gobble!

Yes, that’s right. Easy. Gourmet. Leftovers. Leave it to the experts at Fuel restaurant in Lewiston.

Not up for another turkey
sandwich or even Amy Dacyczyn’s pot pie after the Big Day. Justin Oliver,
executive chef at Fuel, shares a surprisingly quick and easy three-course meal with Thanksgiving leftovers that will have you actually excited about
turkey and all the fixings, again and again.

Serves four people

First course: Oeufs Farcie

4 hard-boiled eggs
Leftover Thanksgiving stuffing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon mayo
Pinch of shallot
One egg, lightly beaten
Bread crumbs

Peel the eggs, slice in half, reserve the yolk. Blend ingredients, except bread crumbs, and
stuff the eggs with the mixture. Roll the eggs in the bread
crumbs, and place them under the broiler for one to two minutes. Serve
warm (alone or with a green salad and vinaigrette).

Second course: Sweet potato (or regular potato) Vichyssoise

4 cups leftover mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, or any other style of leftover potatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Leftover cranberry jelly or other leftover cranberry preparation

Place mashed potatoes in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of
stock and turn on blender. Add more stock as necessary until you have a
smooth soup of the consistency you desire. Heat over medium heat and
add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm (or cold if preferred). Place
a dollop of cranberry jelly in the middle of the soup.

Third course: Turkey Moutard

About 2 cups of leftover turkey (or turkey leg)
About 2 cups of leftover root vegetables
1 package (16 ounces) parpadelle pasta or wide egg noodles
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken (or turkey) stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon thyme (dry or fresh)
Salt and pepper
Small dice of chives for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta or egg noodles al dente. Set aside. In a saucepan over
medium heat combine the mustard, wine, stock, cream and thyme.
Slowly bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the sauce coats
the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm
over low heat.

Reheat turkey and any leftover root vegetables (ideally, these would
consist of pearl onions, carrots, potatoes, turnip, etc. You can reheat
them in a sauté pan over medium heat, or in the microwave.)

To serve, place a mound of noodles in the center of a plate. Top
with heated root vegetables and turkey, and finish with moutard sauce. Garnish
with chives.

Justin Oliver, Executive Chef at Fuel Restaurant in Lewiston, displays the tasty creations he made using nothing but leftovers and a few simple ingredients.  Clockwise from the top left, Turkey Moutard, Oeufs Farcie, and Sweet Potato Vichyssoise.

Turkey tip

 Amy Dacyczyn recommends using the Internet to get new ideas and keep frugality fun.

“I love cooks.com,” she says.

If she has turkey and broccoli to use up, she goes to that site, enters broccoli-turkey casserole “and instantly I have scores of options.”

Amy’s Turkey Pot Pie

Use Thanksgiving leftovers to make pot pie, combining ingredients you have on hand, plus some sauteed onion and celery, combining until the mixture “looks right.” Combine chopped turkey, gravy, cooked and sauteed vegetables (peas, carrots, turnip, broccoli, onion, celery, etc.), and seasoning to taste, making up a quantity of mixture needed for your pot pie. Line pie pot or Pyrex dish with pastry, fill with meat/vegetable mixture, and top with lattice crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and gravy starts to bubble. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

For low-fat variation, omit pastry and use leftover mashed potato or stuffing for topping, and bake at 350 until heated through.

Amy’s Turkey Crepes (serves eight)

Crepe ingredients:

6 eggs

3 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups flour

6 tablespoons margarine, melted

Turkey crepe filling:

1/2 cup margarine or oil

1/2 cup flour

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

2 pounds of turkey, cut up

1 cup celery, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup peas

1 pound shredded cheese (not mozzarella)

To make crepes: Beat eggs, and then beat in milk, salt, flour and margarine. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Heat a 7″ crepe pan or skillet on medium-medium/high. Spray with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup batter in pan and rotate pan to spread batter into a thin layer. Cook until edges start to curl and bottom is starting to brown. Turn over and cook for one minute more.

To make turkey crepes: Prepare crepe batter and let sit for 30 to 45 minutes. Saute celery and onions in margarine/oil until tender. Blend in flour and cook at medium heat until it thickens. Stir in turkey and peas, and heat until bubbling. Cook crepes according to directions. Roll crepes with 1 to 2 tablespoons of turkey mixture and place in two 9″ x 13″ baking dishes sprayed with Pam. Top rolled crepes with cheese. Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.

Baking Powder Biscuits (for turkey and gravy biscuits)

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pea-size lumps form. Add milk and mix with pastry blender until dough forms. Place on a work surface and knead briefly to mix in loose flour. Flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2″ to 3″ circles. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until light brown on top.

Turkey Gravy on Biscuits

Combine chopped turkey and gravy and warm through. Serve on hot biscuits, split in half.

Next week

We seek — and find — prime rib perfection at Rolandeau’s. The experts show us how it’s done. 

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