Leftovers from Christmas Day are an inevitable part of Boxing Day so why not use them to create a delicious board? As this uses leftovers, don’t worry if you have a bit more or less than what’s listed, the point is to use up what you have lurking in the kitchen.
A handful of spinach leaves
Any leftover ham or other cold cuts, sliced
A few sticks/ribs of celery with leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
CORONATION TURKEY
30 g/¼ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
A pinch of saffron or ground turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder
100 g/scant ½ cup mayonnaise
100 g/scant ½ cup natural/plain Greek yogurt
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
About 500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. leftover turkey, shredded
1 kg/2 lb. 4 oz. waxy new potatoes, boiled and halved (optional)
2 tbsp toasted flaked/slivered almonds
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
About 1 kg/2 lb. 4 oz. leftover vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, etc.)
1 small egg, beaten
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
A pinch of chilli flakes/hot red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
4–6 fried eggs, to serve
PIGS IN BLANKETS
12 pre-made pigs in blankets
100 g/⅓ cup cranberry sauce
1 tbsp hot water
A pinch of thyme leaves
CRANBERRY AND TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
1 small baguette, sliced 1 cm/ ½ in. thick
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp cider vinegar
2 ripe on-the-vine tomatoes, chopped
A small bunch of parsley, chopped
80 g/generous ½ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
PRESENTATION
You will need a large wooden board for this
SERVES 4–6
CORONATION TURKEY
Put the dried apricots in a bowl and add just enough boiling water to cover. Add the saffron (or turmeric) and let steep until ready to use.
Lightly toast the curry powder in a dry frying pan or skillet for a minute (careful not to burn) then tip into a mixing bowl with the mayonnaise, yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in the apricots and their soaking liquid and mix thoroughly to combine.
Put the shredded leftover turkey in a bowl and add the coronation sauce, a little at a time, until it is well coated (you may have some Coronation sauce left over depending on how much turkey you have, if so, use this to dress the boiled new potatoes, if using). If it’s a little thick you can add a splash of water. Taste, adding salt or more lemon juice to taste.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
Chop all the leftover vegetables and place in a bowl. Bash with a potato masher until you have a coarse paste, then fold in the egg, wholegrain mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chilli flakes/hot red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and shape into burger-sized patties about 2 cm/¾ in. thick. (If your veg is quite moist, you can omit the egg.)
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based frying pan or skillet and lay each patty into the hot pan – don’t move them! Cook for 4 minutes on medium-high heat, or until they form a deep golden crust, then carefully flip and cook for 4 minutes more. Remove from the pan. Serve with the fried eggs.
PIGS IN BLANKETS
Cook the pigs in blankets according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, slightly water down the cranberry sauce with the hot water. About 5 minutes
before the end of their cooking time, liberally brush the pigs in blankets with the cranberry sauce and return to the oven. Once done, give them a final brush with the cranberry sauce and garnish with a pinch of thyme leaves.
CRANBERRY AND TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
Preheat the oven to 200C fan/220C/425C/Gas 7.
Brush the baguette slices in a little olive oil and toast in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, turning over halfway through. Let cool.
Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.
When ready to serve, use a fork to spoon the cranberry and tomato topping generously onto the sliced baguette.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE
Place a handful of spinach leaves directly onto the board and spoon out the coronation turkey (and dressed potatoes) directly onto the spinach leaves (these act as a plate on your board). Sprinkle the flaked/sliced almonds on top.
Add the bubble and squeak patties to the board, topping some of them with fried eggs. Add the cranberry and tomato bruschetta to the board along with a cluster of the glazed pigs in blankets. Finally, finish with any leftover cold cuts and fill the gaps with a few small celery sticks dotted about.
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