thanksgiving leftover

Thanksgiving Leftover Pull-Apart Bread

stuffing, broken up if clumpy

turkey

parmesan cheese

parsley

Fontina cheese

Glazed with a kind of pecan-studded sauce, this sweet potato pound cake is the perfect marriage of two Southern staples. The cake is tender, buttery, warmly spiced and loaded with fall flavor from canned sweet potatoes, but you could also put your Thanksgiving leftovers to use here and use mashed candied yams or sweet potatoes. They’ll lend every bite richness and gentle sweetness.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake 

all-purpose flour,

unsalted butter,

sugar

eggs,

mashed sweet potato yams

baking soda

salt

unsalted butter

light brown sugar

maple syrup

vanilla extract

cinnamon

heavy cream

pecans

NYT Cooking

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/05/multimedia/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/05/multimedia/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt-googleFourByThree.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/05/multimedia/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/05/multimedia/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt/MP-Sweet-Potato-Pound-Cakerex-fjmt-facebookJumbo.jpg

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Make the cake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Beat in sour cream and mashed sweet potato. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.

Mix dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack, and let cool for about another 45 minutes.

As the loaf cools, make the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, and mix until melted. Turn heat down to low. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes. Add pecans and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes to coat and toast the pecans. Pour over the cake while both cake and sauce are slightly warm.

Love this! make it less sweet (cut the sugar next time). Didn’t make the topping as it was sweet enough as is

I know it can be annoying when people change recipes entirely but…I wanted a treat without so many calories. I swapped the sour cream for a thick nonfat greek yogurt, boosted the sweet potato content, subbed out 1/2 the flour with almond flour, cut the sugar by 1/4, and lastly added some cinnamon and ginger. Made muffins. I must say, they were exceptionally good.

Waaaaaay to sweet for me. I didn’t even make the glaze as the bread itself had enough sugar on it. If I ever made this again, I’d cut the sugar down.

This was an absolute hit with my bunco group! Everyone asked for the recipe. Although there was little sweet potato/fall flavors--more like a softer classic southern pound cake with less eggs. I also omitted the maple glaze (I was lazy) and just used a simple glaze with powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract. In making this again, I would add some pumpkin pie spice and other fall flavors into the batter!

Are there supposed to be spices in the cake? I mean I really like sweet potatoes, but with all the other ingredients it would seem like the cake  could use a bit of cinnamon, at least. I added the same spices I use for candied sweet potatoes. Strange omission

Really good but the pound cake itself didn’t have strong sweet potato flavor. I would make it again though!

I haven't tasted it yet because I'm saving it for a party that I'm going to tomorrow. But at first glance, it seems as if there's an awful lot of glaze. I would reduce that by at least half next time.

Made a double recipe tonight and it was enough for three cakes. Absolutely fantastic and the family loves it.

Delicious as written! Agreed with another reviewer, put in more like a cup of sweet potato, and it worked out fine. Definitely make the pecan caramel sauce - along with some whipped cream, makes for a delicious dessert.

I’m in the minority here but we didn’t love this pound cake. Texture was good but even with an extra 1/4 cup (canned) sweet potatoes, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp each nutmeg & clove the loaf still had no flavor. The topping was good but definitely won’t be making this one again.

I cooked this in a Bundt pan and checked it at an hour: it was done. (10” diameter) It came out nicely with a tender cake and firm crust. The pecan glaze, while delicious, made the whole thing a little too sweet for me, but I’ll definitely be making the cake again. Next time I’ll just add the pecans to the batter, as another cook did, and skip the sauce.

Made this for Thanksgiving dessert and it was a hit. So incredibly good. Used walnuts instead of pecans because that's what I had at the time and it worked out fine!

I made this as written, and it was delicious. The cake is dense and moist, and the topping is praline-like and really gussies it up. I only made it because I needed a potluck dish and happened to have the ingredients, including a stray leftover roasted sweet potato, but I will definitely make it again. Mine took 105 minutes to be perfectly done.

I botched a couple of things. I used too small pan and I overcooked sauce. It’s worth giving it another go. I think I’ll add more flavor. BUT the result isn’t “yammy” enough for me. Do you think I can increase yam and decrease sour cream?

I just baked this pound cake using leftover sweet potatoes that I'd frozen a few weeks ago. I didn't have a 9"x5" loaf pan, but used two slightly smaller loaf pans and reduced baking time to 50 minutes. The maple pecan sauce seemed like gilding the lily, so instead I just stirred about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans into the batter. The results were excellent. Sweet enough for dessert, but also fine as an addition to a basket of breads for a festive table.

I made this as a gluten free Bundt cake and it was phenomenal. The glaze was heavenly and the cake was perfectly moist. I highly recommend!

Delicious - love the sweet “caramelly” flavor from the sweet potatoes. I split into 2 loaves - made 1 with the glaze and made the other without the glaze but added the spices and vanilla to the batter. One was a like a dessert cake and the other more of a sweet bread. Both were good! Would make either one again.

You can usually sub yogurt for sour cream in baking - use the same amount, unflavored or plain, preferrably whole fat or greek yogurt.

Definitely keep an eye on the cake in the oven for the last 15 mins or so. I baked for 1 hour 5 minutes and it was definitely on the dryer side.

Made cake only, per recipe, and it was perfect for flavor, sweetness and texture.  Mashed  very soft oven roasted sweet potato.  Recipe suggests another option of leftover candied yams, but those would make this too sweet for my household.  Checked at 1 hr and not quite done, 1 hr 5 min it was.  Next time I'll check at 1 hr 3 min.  No kidding.  Looking forward to making the maple pecan sauce next time too for dessert.  This time the pound cake is intended to be toasted for breakfast.

This cake was huge hit at an early Thanksgiving celebration.  I added a whole baked sweet potato that was more than the 1/2 cup with no problem.  Cooked it for exactly the time listed and it was perfect.  The glaze was what made it special.  I can see using this glaze for other breakfast treats...

I don’t understand the description “warmly spiced”. There is a pinch of cinnamon in the topping but no spices at all in the cake.

You can use a hand held mixer if you have one of those, otherwise I would just do it by hand.  Just make sure your butter is at room temperature so you can blend it together with the sugar.

I added some cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to the batter and a bit of bourbon to the glaze and I was not sorry. Too late, I read others’ comments about the baking time. I went the full 1 hour and 10 minutes so it was a little dry.  However, much to my surprise, the cake improved the next day.

@Ambreen I made it in a 10-cup Brilliance Bundt pan in a Breville air fryer/toaster oven with the convection turned off. It was done in 52 minutes. It didn’t rise quite to the top of the pan, so if you use a design that has a border or other design change at the edge, it may affect the look of your cake. The Brilliance doesn’t have that issue, so mine came out beautifully.

I, too, didn't make the pecan sauce, but added just atoch of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla. And SO good! and it rose so well(in a cake pan) with gluten free flour!! Next, time, I, too, will add pecans to the batter!!

@Naomi Jespersen what type of GF flour did you use and what other modifications did you make to accommodate for the switch? Ty in advance!

I don't have one either. I use a hand mixer.

Ok, I’m going to be that person (cue the tomatoes). I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but it still turned out amazing! I used a vanilla bean brown butter in place of the unsalted butter called for in the recipe (same weight). I also doubled the recipe and made it in a 12 cup Bundt pan. I didn’t have enough sweet potato, like 30 grams less than needed for the doubled amount. I forgot to actually puree the sweet potato. I also used vegan heavy cream in the pecan topping (to accommodate a guest). Regardless, it turned out great!

Somehow, there is always leftover cranberry sauce after all of the other Thanksgiving leftovers have disappeared. The classic grilled cheese sandwich comes to the rescue, welcoming any cranberry sauce you have on hand into its warm, melty embrace. A meat-free alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving&nbsp;leftover sandwich, this cranberry sauce grilled cheese thrives with mild or sharp Cheddar, though any cheese is welcomed here. Adding in a layer of Dijon mustard and of course, a few slices of turkey, are also great ideas.&nbsp;

Cranberry Grilled Cheese

Mayonnaise

(1/2-inch-thick) slices sourdough or sandwich bread

butter

Cheddar (about 1/2 cup)

cranberry sauce

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/21/multimedia/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/21/multimedia/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw-googleFourByThree.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/21/multimedia/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/21/multimedia/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw/DP-cranberry-grilled-cheeserex-vbqw-facebookJumbo.jpg

Thinly spread mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread. Thinly spread butter on the other side of each slice of bread. Sprinkle cheese evenly on the buttered side of each slice. 

Place the bread slices in the skillet, mayonnaise-side down. Cover the pan and cook until the cheese is about halfway melted, about 2 minutes. 

Spread the cranberry sauce on top of the cheese on one slice of the bread.  If using jellied or solid cranberry sauce, mash it  to loosen before spreading. Then flip the other slice onto the cranberry sauce, cheese side down. Press the top of the sandwich with a spatula and cook until the cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes, flipping a few times to melt the cheese thoroughly. 

Remove the sandwich from the pan, let cool for a minute or two, then serve.  

It’s all about the Bread!  Worth getting a good bakery loaf.

Terrible at following recipes so put butter side down and mayo on the inside with provolone, turkey and cranberry sauce (also don’t follow the recipe for that — only use 1/3 cup of sugar) It was delicious!

Don’t sleep on a mustard of your choice. Stone ground, Dijon, honey mustard (my fave here).

You mention baked brie, but don't list how to do that.  I already make a baked brie in puff pastry - do I use that part of that leftover, or should I use part of a new wheel of brie and just toast the whole sandwich on a griddle?  This sandwich looks fantastic and I'm eager to try to make it!

Pickled banana peppers would be a terrific addition. Would use the medianoche. 
Clever combo.

I know this is about cranberry, but grilled cheese (I like Havarti or Gruyere) with a couple slices of dill pickle.

This combo works real well using tortillas! Just made one for breakfast.

This is a fantastic sandwich. I add sliced avocado and sprouts.

I have plenty of cranberry sauce left over. I love it. I made it in accordance with the NYT recipe, even adding a little orange brandy to it. That brandy gives it a nice little heat and zing. After the holiday I use it like any other jam I have on hand. Using it in a grilled cheese sandwich sounds great!

By coincidence, while preparing Thanksgiving dinner early this afternoon I had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. I added some leftover Giardiniera topping to it and it was fantastic!

I used cheese slices rather than shredded ( easier ) and added thin layer of leftover dressing.

Who are you commanding to do better? I use cranberry horseradish on turkey and ham sandwiches. I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches using raspberry or apricot jam. Do better? There is nothing better!

I must admit that I didn’t think something could be more disgusting that that sandwich looks in the photo.  But then the comments mentioned mayonnaise. 

I have no words. Cranberry sauce is awesome, but fruit on a sandwich is a disgrace. Do better.

Cranberry sauce is great also on oatmeal or pancakes!

This trend of grilling the mayonnaise has got to end. Just use butter. Grilled mayo smells bad and tastes worse. Inside the sandwich is fine, just don’t put it in contact with the grill.

I love cranberry relish. I make it the minute cranberries are available at my grocery store - delicious on toast with goat cheese!

When I first became a vegetarian, I missed turkey and cranberry sandwiches so much, so I started eating cranberry and cheddar sandwiches. It’s a winning combination—like the classic Wensleydale cheese with cranberries. A really sharp white cheddar works great.

This would be great with pepper jack cheese. The heat would balance the sweetness.

Cranberry sauce goes very well with a baked brie - or you could also make your grilled cheese with brie.

You mean what my niece used to call can-berry?

We used regular cheddar the first time and it was a little bland but still really tasty. Made it again with asiago and bacon, WOW!

If you don't have cranberry sauce mango chutney is a great alternative for grilled cheese.

No need for the butter IMO- with the mayo and cheese there is plenty of flavor richness, especially with a sharp cheddar.  Delicious and easy seasonal sandwich.

Would never have thought that the mayonnaise side was the one down in the skillet.

you can use any cranberry sauce you have on hand! especially whatever is left over :)

We made these last night as an easy before-Thanksgiving dinner. (After seeing these delicious pictures come through my feed, I made some extra cranberry sauce!) We added the suggested Dijon and they were amazing! Perfect for our vegetarian son too.

I love everything about this sandwich!!! Is it okay to use the "ribbed" cranberry sauce?

@AE  in 2004 I got a personal tour of the cheese cave under Neal’s Yard Dairy in London. The highlight occurred when Mary, Keeper of the Soft Cheeses, shivered as she described Wensleydale with cranberries as an “abomination.”

How have I never thought of this?! Brilliant! I can’t wait to make this on Friday! Sounds wonderful.

This has no right to be so good. I advocate for making the lazy man's version of this: just put butter and cheese on the bread and put in the toaster oven. Once cheese is melted, spread the cranberry sauce, close, and eat!

I found the recipe as written a bit bland. Next time will either use a sharper cheddar (or maybe Pepper Jack) or a cranberry sauce with ginger or chilies of some sort. Or I will return  to my usual grilled cheddar/mango chutney sandwich. Both would be good with some thinly sliced turkey breast as well.

Originally, birria was developed as a way to tame tough and gamey goat meat by marinating it in a rich and spicy adobo sauce then slow cooking it until it was falling off the bones. The meat was shredded and served in bowls with the braising liquid (called consomé) ladled over top. The consomé-infused meat was put into tortillas with cilantro, onion and salsa and eaten with more consomé on the side or used as a dipping sauce. Because this recipe takes advantage of leftover turkey that is already cooked, the carcass is used to make a quick consomé flavored with canned fire roasted tomatoes, dried chiles and spices. Add the shredded turkey at the end to warm it up and let it soak up all the flavor. For the salsa, use leftover cranberry sauce; homemade or canned both work great. If using canned and you have a choice between whole-berry and jellied, choose the whole-berry sauce — the salsa will have even more texture.

Birria de Pavo (Turkey Birria)

turkey carcass,

orange juice

tomatoes

½ medium white onion, chopped

garlic cloves,

guajillo chiles (about 20 grams), stemmed and seeded

ancho chiles (about 27 grams), stemmed and seeded

chiles de árbol (about 4 grams), stemmed (and seeded

black peppercorns

bay leaves

cloves

(3-inch) cinnamon stick (canela or cassia varieties)

cumin seeds

oregano,

thyme

Salt

white onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)

serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped (about 1/4 cup)

garlic clove, finely grated

lime zest

lime juice,

Chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges, warm corn tortillas (for serving)

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/22/multimedia/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/22/multimedia/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz-googleFourByThree.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/22/multimedia/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/11/22/multimedia/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz/RM-Turkey-Birriarex-kwpz-facebookJumbo.jpg

Prepare the birria: Place the turkey carcass plus the skin and any vegetables or herbs stuffed inside the cavity (but not the meat) into a large stock pot and add just enough water to cover (about 12 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a vigorous simmer and cook uncovered.

While the turkey carcass is coming up to a boil, make the chile purée. In a large saucepan, add the orange juice, tomatoes, onion, garlic, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, chiles de árbol, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, thyme and 2 1/2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes until the chiles are very soft. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, then transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until completely smooth.

Add the chile purée to the pot with the simmering turkey carcass and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the braising liquid, or consomé, is very fragrant and the bones easily separate from the joints and other bones, about 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, make the salsa: In a medium bowl, gently stir together the cranberry sauce, onion, serranos, garlic, lime zest, lime juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until completely combined. Taste and season with more salt and lime juice if desired. Let sit, uncovered, for about 10 minutes so the flavors can meld. If desired, the salsa can be made up to 1 day ahead (the extra time will mellow its heat). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Strain the consomé through a mesh sieve into a large bowl, stirring and pressing on the solids with a spatula; discard the solids. Wipe out the stock pot with a paper towel and transfer strained consomé back into the pot, add shredded turkey and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is very tender and heated through, about 15 minutes. (Any dry turkey bits will absorb the consomé and magically become flavorful and tender.) Taste and season with salt if desired.

Divide the turkey meat among shallow bowls and pour some consomé over. Top with the chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing, cranberry salsa and tortillas to make tacos.

How am I supposed to find all these different kinds of chilies? I’m not familiar with them and they are certainly not readily available. Are there any appropriate substitutes?

Made this tonight with one big change: we used a whole rotisserie chicken. The small changes were adding some carrots, celery, fresh thyme and a few scallions in addition to the carcass because I had them. It was amazing and we will definitely be making this again. I opted to serve it with quesadillas made with corn tortillas and Monterey Jack cheese. Dipping it into the consommé was sublime.

Stating up front: I used this recipe as a base for a “clean out the freezer” soup. I had turkey stock from a grilled (bbq) turkey we did last summer, some rotisserie turkey breast meat from another meal. I had frozen pico de gallo (which is a great mis en place for soups/stews) and andouille sausage from who knows when. I made the orange juice part using orange juice, four chiles de arbol, the pico and a can of diced tomatoes. The pico was spicy enough that I didn’t need the other dried chiles. After puréing this, I added about two quarts of the turkey stock, a diced yam, cooked it a bit and then added diced (cooked) turkey breast meat and a diced andouille sausage. Did not make the salsa because it’s March and I don’t have cranberry sauce, but I served it with rice and topped with some mango salsa I had ingredients for, and lots of cilantro. The point is, it’s a great, flexible recipe that can go in many directions. Adding corn and black beans to one quart to freeze as a soup. Great way for me to use up stuff in my fridge and freezer! Also, I would always make the stock separately, and not add the salsa part until I strained out the solids. SO much easier to do this in stages.

Made with guajilla peppers, poblanos, a can of fire roasted tomatoes, leftover homemade salsa, a very moist and lovely turkey breast and scraps, half a jar of canned roasted red peppers and a dollop of greek yogurt. Far from authentic, but still quite good. I love the liquid part of the soup. When it's mostly gone, I'll enjoy birria de pavo tacos to the very last bite!

I skipped the chiles de arbol and only put in half the peppercorns — if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to eat it. I can tolerate spice pretty decently, so I don’t know if it was just my particular chiles or what. 

I cooked 12 cups of low salt chicken broth with the chile/tomato mixture for an 1.5 hr. I only added 1 teaspoon salt for the whole thing, and that was correct. 

I added the turkey and a can of hominy for the last half hour. 

It was good but almost too spicy for me!

Used 5 cups turkey meat, two cans of beans and four carrots. Used 12 cups chicken broth. Served over brown rice

I only had a cup of orange juice so added more tomatoes and some honey for sweetness and lime for acidity. I had already made the turkey stock so just added the pepper and tomato purée to the pre-made stock and let it simmer while. Next time I might cut down the salt a bit and season it more at the end. I didn’t have any ancho chiles so substituted with some chipotles I had on hand. It was delicious and a great use for turkey leftovers!

This was seriously one of the best things I’ve eaten.  It’s gone over noodles and rice, chicken and pork, salmon and tilapia - it’s been made into a salad dressing - sandwiches have been dipped - tortillas have been dunked - it’s been warmed in a mug and sipped - it’s been frozen in ice cubes and added to salsa - it’s been slathered over eggs - it’s been added to bloody mary’s.  Made this!

This recipe makes an absolutely delicious broth.  The turkey and broth make a delicious soup.  Absolutely will make again.  And again.  I did not deviate from the quantities in the recipe for the broth.  Spicy and just right. 

I was not sure how to get “shredded” turkey.  Any advice anyone?  The white meat naturally shreds when cut but the pieces of brown meat stayed pieces — even though I simmered them in the broth longer than the recipe called for.  

The recipe yields a lot of broth for the amount of turkey — unless you simmer it for a lot longer than the recipe calls for.  I was happy to use leftover broth but note that you may need a plan for that.  Also, it is broth, it does not become sauce so it’s a bit of a challenge to turn this into taco fare.  Just using the turkey without some broth in tacos misses too much of the flavor.  The salsa is great (I did skip the raw onion and garlic as I am not a fan of these items raw).

This was  hands down the best turkey leftover recipe ive  ever made. We had a lot of the consomme left  over so I watered it down and made the greatest turkey soup by adding white beans, corn carrots celery a grated daikon radish and a few handfuls of greens. Also I couldn't get the peppers listed so I used 2 fresh pablano, 2 fresh pablano, 2 fresh Anaheim, and split a jalapeno between the salsa and the broth. It was great hot but not too much.

We ended up having quite a bit of the broth leftover so I froze it. I just heated it up today, added chunks of potato and about 1 pound of thin sliced beef that was also frozen. We garnished it with chopped cilantro, finely diced red onion, avocado and fresh lime juice. This is a fantastic recipe. So so tasty.

II added the chile puree to the turkey stock and we had a bit of leftover turkey to add to it and we crumbled tortilla chips into it. Tomorrow, I 'll cook some chicken in the broth and we'll have birria tacos with toppings of shredded cabbage, radish, chopped onion and salsa. I didn't make the cranberry salsa as some in the family can't have cranberries.                            
The chile puree is very tasty and would make a great chili dish if combined with ground beef, onion and beans.

This was a gloriously delicious end of our leftovers! I had made turkey brith in our insta pot so just added it to the puree and simmered for about an hour. Then I heated locally made flour tortillas in a cast iron pan, flipped them, and sprinkled with cheddar cheese putting the drained turkey, white onions, and cilantro on top. Folded them in half in the skillet and crisped up both sided of the folded tortillas. Served with the consume in a small ramekin and the salsa on the side. Hubby was blown away and so was I!!

Made this last night. It was fantastic. I would maybe double the guajillo next time. The 2 1/2 TBS of salt was perfect amount as it went to seasoning the turkey stock as it cooked. Squeeze of lime, cilantro and onion made this and my suspicious Mexican husband very happy.

1.  I had leftover turkey stock, so I just made the chili puree and then added the stock and cooked that for a while.  Very tasty.   I toasted the chilis as that's what I generally do.  Not sure if it helped.  
2.  The salsa sounds weird, but it's quite tasty in a taco with the turkey. I left out the raw onion and garlic as I'm not a fan of those items raw.
3.  A touch of sugar helped round out the flavor of the broth.  Doesn't make it sweet, just brings out the frutiness.  

Good recipe!

coming back to update on the salt: the birria was delicious & easy. I used 1 tsp salt (instead of 2 1/2 tablespoons!!! - are we positive that's not a misprint?) in the consommé & 3/4 tsp in the salsa (instead of 1 1/2 tsp). so maybe consider salting carefully & add more if needed

I had never made birria before, and this was a really nice way to deal with my disappointingly dry Thanksgiving turkey. I made quesabirria tacos and served it with the rest of the birria-- Mexican equivalent of a grilled cheese and tomato soup? Family loved it. Don't skip the salsa for the tacos. The kids were dubious but daring and loved it. The cranberry/chile/onion/lime combo is so good.

Using a hammer, break the major bones like thigh, leg, wings to expose the marrow before the carcass goes in the pot. You will be rewarded!

Served this as a soup over ramen noodles. Fantastic.

@Phil turkeys don’t have marrow in the same sense that mammals do. Bones are hollow and the “marrrow”is only really found in the “heads” of the femurs. So essentially this is just wasted effort

I’m most certainly going to make this, because I have all the ingredients — and it sounds so good,

Instead of straining, just remove the carcass for whoever likes to pick at it -- any remaining meat is delicious!

Yes, the cranberry salsa sounds bizarre, but it's quite tasty.  Two serranos (not three) provide plenty of heat.

Top 4 thanksgiving leftover recipes from across the web

The most viewed thanksgiving leftover recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Thanksgiving Leftover Pull-Apart Br...

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Cranberry Grilled Cheese

Birria de Pavo (Turkey Birria)

Top 4 thanksgiving leftover recipes from across the web

The most viewed thanksgiving leftover recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Thanksgiving Leftover Pull-Apart Br...

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Cranberry Grilled Cheese

Birria de Pavo (Turkey Birria)

The most viewed thanksgiving leftover recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine