This is another genius way to use up those endless turkey leftovers, though perhaps this one, with its creamy sauce, should wait for the initial gluttony to have worn off a little.
The real plus here is that you can use up both turkey and ham left-overs in the same dish, stretching that bit further if necessary, or making a full-size dish out of the meagre final pickings.
Either way, this is one of my post-Christmas favourites, and a very useful recipe to have up your sleeve.
Serves 4
800g left over turkey (or a combination of turkey and ham)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped
300ml chicken stock
150ml white wine
150ml double cream
100g gruyere, grated
a bunch of fresh tarragon, chopped (about 15g)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
30–50g breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra 25g butter (for dotting)
1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C, or gas mark 6.
2. In a heavy frying pan, heat the oil and 25g of the butter and cook off the leek and onion until they are nice and soft, but not coloured. Remove them and set aside.
3. Add the other 25g butter to the remaining fat, cook the flour in it for about three minutes, without browning. Gradually add the stock and the wine, and keep whisking it until you have a thickened, well amalgamated sauce.
4. Add the cream, the mustard, the tarragon and the cheese and simmer for about 10–15 minutes. Check the seasoning, and adjust with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Put the cooked turkey (or turkey and ham) pieces and the onions and leeks into a buttered gratin dish, and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle the top evenly with breadcrumbs. Dot with the extra 25g of butter, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
6. Serve with greens.
