Holiday Tip # 9: Turkey Soup & Potato Cakes

Day after Christmas and what have you got? Leftovers baby, leftovers. And what to do with said leftovers? Soup!

Now I'm not talkin' tenderloin here (sandwiches to made there), but leftover turkey and sides.

Here's what you do:

• Take the turkey carcass (please tell me that you saved it), put it in a big pot and cover it with water -- go 2"-3" over and put it on the stove on high heat.
  
• Add a little bit of onion (quartered with the skin on is fine) and some carrots







• Bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer. Let simmer for as long as you can (3 hours is awesome, more is better, 1/2 an hour if you're in a pinch.) The longer it cooks, the better the broth.


• Remove the carcass and start adding your leftovers. In our case, it was Kluski noodles (a PA fave, they're skinny but a little thicker than an egg noodle), peas and artichokes, corn, and maybe a couple of other errant veggies. Add a little salt, pepper, and herbs (I like thyme) and cook for a bit longer to just make all of the flavors dance together a little bit. Done. Turkey Soup using nothing but leftovers and a little water. (BTW - The neighbor said that it was "superb" thank you very much.)


• Don't use gravy, stuffing, or anything too non-veg carby here. It will just cloud it and not make it as yummy.

Now, for your leftover taters: Potato Cakes

I loooooove me some potato cakes, mostly because it's fried mashed potatoes with butter, and really, what could be wrong with that??

Here's what you do:

• Take the mashed potatoes and throw in an egg and some flour. Think of it along the lines of 1 egg and half a cup of flour per 2 cups of mashed potatoes, but mostly I do it by feel. It shouldn't be too wet.
  
• Mix the ingredients together so that you can form it into cakes about 1" high by 3" or 4" in circumference.


• Using a non-stick pan heated over medium-high heat with a pat or two of butter and a splash of veg oil, pan-fry your potato cakes until a golden crust is formed, then flip it and make both sides yummy-looking. I hold them in a warm oven until they're all done.

Serve with a big 'ole pat of butter beside your soup and holiday heaven has been achieved.

Ahhhhhh....I love the holidays.