During the holidays, many of us have guests over to our homes, and many of us are guests. Either way, we’re often faced with choices about what to do next in the leftovers department. Here’s a guest post from Fairway Market Cafe and Steakhouse with a few pro tips!
Holidays are the time of year when your family gets together—grandparents, parents, nieces, nephews, cousins, and more—to feast over a huge amount of delicious food. When all is said and done, there will be a lot of leftovers. The trick is to not just reheat and eat the leftovers begrudgingly over the course of three days. Instead of wasting so much food, you can take a few tips from Chef Vincent Olivieri, director of culinary development and chef de cuisine at Fairway Cafe and Steakhouse. His ideas will help to reduce waste and maximize the hard-earned money you’ve spent preparing everything.
1. Send guests home with food!
This one seems obvious, but it’s crucial. Use this opportunity to send them home with food that’s harder to transform–items like stuffing or sweet potato casserole.
2. Make a stock.
Don’t throw out those bones! (Your grandmother was right—they are packed with nutrition.) Making a broth from the turkey (or chicken) bones may seem like a lot of work, but believe me it is worth it, and is also high in certain nutrients: niacin, phosphorus, vitamin A, zinc, and selenium.
3. Make a cottage pie.
There’s a lot more to do with that big plate of leftover chicken and mashed potatoes than just reheating and eating. Cottage pie is an age-old tradition that dates back to the 1700s as a way to prepare savory bits of meat along with potatoes, vegetables, and herbs. Historically, it’s considered peasant food, and that’s why we love it—it’s practical and relatively inexpensive, yet satisfying, filling, and nutritious.
4. Make a cheesesteak.
Cooked prime rib is so versatile. Chances are you have leftover bread, cheese from antipasto, and there are almost always onions lying around.
5. Make prime rib hash.
This is another great dish to make with prime rib. All you need are some leftover potatoes, onions and some leftover veggies. Once your meat is cooked through and nicely browned, drop two eggs on top. Crack them right on top and put the whole thing into the oven until the whites of the eggs are cooked through.
Photo courtesy of Fairway.
