This recipe from TV chef Jamie Oliver incorporates whatever leftovers you have from your Christmas dinner to make a delicious sandwich, on unforgettable homemade bread
One of the best parts of Christmas dinner every year is without doubt the huge amount of leftovers that can keep you going for days. Let’s be honest, a Boxing Day lunch made up of all the leftovers can even sometimes end up being better than the big meal on the day itself, but if you’re at a loss with what to do with your leftovers this year – or you just want some fresh inspiration on how to approach whipping them up into another meal, this recipe from Jamie Oliver is for you.
The TV chef takes inspiration from Italy for this one, and the homemade bread you will enjoy this leftover sandwich on is simply unforgettable. Jamie’s aim was to create a recipe that can include whatever leftovers from Christmas dinner you have in your fridge, so it’s also a super flexible approach to making sure nothing goes to waste. However, turkey is definitely the main act in Jamie’s version – so you might need to make some tweaks if you had a plant-based festive season.
You won’t regret taking the time for this warm, homemade bread, and the fresh pickle the expert recommends whipping up as a garnish will add a seriously satisfying crunch to the proceedings, “Inspired by the Italian muffuletta, this is a sensational sharer sandwich that celebrates all those lovely Christmas leftovers. I’m sharing the principles of this so you can build your own, based on what you’ve got left in the fridge,” Jamie explains on his website.
Ingredients
For the bread:
For the pickle:
- White wine vinegar
- 2 x carrots
- Half a cucumber
- Quarter of a cauliflower
- 8 x radishes
- Half a fresh red chilli
- 1 x 100g jar of green pitted olives
- 1 x 465g jar of roasted peppers
-
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
For the filling:
- 400g leftover turkey and stuffing
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- 6 tbsp leftover gravy
- 250g leftover ham
- 200g cheese (cheddar or red Leicester)
- 1 bag of rocket
Method
First up, you need to make the dough for your bread, so that it can be left to proof for an hour. Pour flour on your clean kitchen work surface and create a well in the middle then sprinkle sea salt. Next, carefully pour your tepid water into the well you’ve created, before adding your yeast and honey. Then grab a fork – you will want to mix the water into the dry ingredients slowly but surely until you eventually get a rough dough when it’s all mixed together. Next, you will need a bit of elbow grease as you kneed for ten minutes until your dough is nice and stretchy, and smooth.
Pop your dough into a bowl, cover it with a damp tea towel, and set it aside so it can grow for about an hour – it should be double its original size when it is ready – and crucially make sure to leave it to proof in a warm spot in your home.
Next, you want to grab a 30cm x 40cm roasting tray, and pop 2 tbsps of olive oil inside, rubbing it everywhere so the tray is properly coated. “Knock the dough back, then stretch and shape it into the tray, pushing it into the corners. Use your fingers to push dimples all over the surface of the bread, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove again for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size,” Jamie explains.
Once this is done, you’re going to want to bake your bread, whilst you make the pickle and prepare the leftover fillings. Preheat your oven to 200°C/395°F/gas and then make sure the bread is at the bottom of your oven, before baking for 25-30 mins. It should be golden and crispy on top when it is ready, and then you should add another spoonful of olive oil and set it aside for 15 more minutes.
“Meanwhile, make a start on the fillings. Place the turkey skin on a baking tray and crisp up in the oven for 5 minutes. Cool in the tray, then remove and leave to cool on a wire rack. Shred the turkey meat. I like a mixture of brown and white. In a hot frying pan, fry the meat until nice and crisp, then spoon over 3 tablespoons of leftover gravy, until it’s all unctuous and glossy,” explains the TV chef.
Next up, it’s time to make the pickle. Whisk your white wine vinegar with your mustard and 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, and then finely chop your fresh raw veggies, olives, jarred red peppers, and your chilli, before adding to the dressing and mixing it all up totally.
Finally, you want to make what is possibly the best condiment ever: mayo-gravy. Mix the two together before cutting your fresh bread horizontally and slathering it over. Then simply layer up your leftovers in your preferred order, before finishing off with your rocket, cheese of choice, and pickle, placing the top half of your bread back on as a lid – and simply sit back and tuck into the best sandwich of your life.
Whatever leftovers you are dealing with in your home this Christmastime, the building blocks of this sandwich remain the same with the delicious bread, life-changing gravy-mayo, and the crunchy pickle – simply alter the leftover filling stage to work with whatever you have the most left of this year. Whatever aspect of the roast dinner is left, will taste even better in this sandwich.
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