I have to say that my favorite part of the roast turkey dinner has to be the leftovers. There are just so many different things that you can do with the leftovers and it is always fun coming up with creative new ways to use them. Before I start using the leftovers for creative things however I have to have at least one turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich. I had been thinking of mayo based 'salads' since I made the egg salad BLT and it seemed pretty obvious to try a turkey salad sandwich and I was a bit surprised that I had not thought of it earlier. Along with the turkey and mayo I went with some other classic chicken salad sandwich ingredients including celery and green onions. From there I went with some seasonal ingredients including some pecans, dried cranberries and sage and I finished everything off with some crisp and juicy apple. This sandwich was literally as easy as mixing all of the salads ingredients and assembling the sandwich. I really enjoyed the turkey salad sandwich and I will definitely be making it again! How can you really go wrong with a salad that is held together with mayo? The crunchy pecans and the crisp celery and apple added a really nice contrasting texture and the turkey, pecan and cranberry combo really reminded me of holiday flavours.

Turkey Salad Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)



Directions:
1. Mix everything but the lettuce and bread in a bowl.
2. Assemble sandwich.

This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone that is celebrating a Happy Thanksgiving!!

It had been a long time since I last had roast turkey so there was no doubt at all that that would be on the menu this Thanksgiving. The only question was; What kind of roast turkey? I was all set to do a simple herbed roast turkey when I came across this recipe for a parmesan and sage roasted turkey on myrecipes that sounded really good. Of course sage would go great with the turkey but I was interested to see how the parmigiano reggiano would work on a roasted turkey. One of the things that I liked about this recipe is the attention that is paid to the gravy from the start including adding vegetables to the roasting pan simply to flavour the turkey drippings for the gravy.

Since I am not cooking for a large family I prefer to go with a single large turkey breast rather than doing a full turkey. (I have to admit that my favorite part of the roast turkey dinner is the leftover turkey sandwiches and the breast is what is required for those sandwiches.) Given the number of steps in this recipe, it took a bit longer to make than a more simple roast turkey but it was definitely worth it. The parmesan and sage roast turkey was nice and moist and tender and full of flavour. For the most part the parmigiano reggiano melted and disappeared into the sauce to add flavour to it but before it left it imparted the turkey with its flavour which worked well with the sage. The gravy was every bit as tasty as it prommised to be and I had a hard time trying to decided what to smother the turkey in; the gravy or the cranberry sauce or just to have it plain. I guess that's what seconds and thirds are for.

Directions:
1. Place the onion, celery, carrots and garlic in the bottom of the roasting pan.
2. Mix the parmigiano reggiano, sage, butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Rub the parmigiano reggiano mixture under the skin of the turkey and place the turkey in the roast pan breast side up.
4. Sprinkle the turkey with a bit of lemon juice and pour the chicken stock into the pan.
5. Roast the turkey in a preheated 425F oven until the skin is nice and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to 325F, cover the turkey with foil and roast until a thermometer pushed into the thickest part of the turkey reads 180F.
7. Remove from oven, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
8. Melt the butter in a pan.
9. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute.
10. Add the sherry and sage and simmer to reduce by half, about 5-10 minutes.
11. Pour the drippings into a plastic bag straining the solids and discards them.
12. Cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag and pour the drippings until the layer of fat is about to come out and discard the fat.
13. Add chicken stock to the drippings to get 1 1/2 cups.
14. Add the drippings to the shallots and sherry.
15. Mix the flour into the water and add it to the gravy along with some salt and pepper and simmer to until it thickens, about 2 minutes.