Banish Dry Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches With This Genius Gravy Tip

One of the best things about Thanksgiving — besides getting together with family and friends and sharing a big feast while giving thanks — is all of the leftovers to enjoy over the following week. There are many different recipes and ways to make the most of Thanksgiving leftovers, from making a savory waffle using leftover stuffing to baking everything into an easy and delicious savory loaf or simply eating leftovers cold and straight from the fridge as Ina Garten does. One of the most popular leftover dishes is the classic turkey sandwich. One problem with leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, though, is that they can often be bland and dry.

We spoke with food blogger and recipe creator Nadia Aidi recently at NYCWFF's FoodieCon, and she has a genius tip for avoiding dry leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, and it comes down to the gravy. Aidi, told us, "I thin out the turkey gravy a little bit to make it more like an au jus. I make my turkey gravy with caramelized onions, so there's a lot of au jus notes in there." She then enjoys her turkey sandwich much like a French dip sandwich, with a turkey gravy au jus for dipping.

While Aidi's gravy tip helps keep the leftover turkey juicy and moist, she has a few other tips for crafting an upgraded turkey sandwich. Another key step is to add some texture: "I shred the turkey, or slice it, whichever way you want to use it. Give it a nice hard sear and add some texture to the turkey, because otherwise, it's going to be very bland," explains Aidi. She also tops the turkey with some good cheese — use your favorite here, but Swiss, provolone, cheddar, and pepper jack all pair well with turkey.

Aidi also sometimes makes a quick aioli with her leftovers, which is yet another upgrade to simply using mayonnaise for the sandwich. Leftover cranberry sauce works great here for a quick and easy Thanksgiving leftovers aioli that will add extra texture, moisture, and flavor to your turkey sandwich. Combine that with the seared turkey and turkey gravy au jus, and you have the makings of a better Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwich that you will actually look forward to enjoying, over and over again.