By Emily Malloy

What joy is had around the table as we feast on Thanksgiving! Potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, stuffing, and turkey fill our plates, our stomachs, and eventually, our refrigerators. I, for one, look forward to the many turkey-centered meals that follow Thanksgiving day! 

There are a great number of iterations of recipes that seek to put all of the leftovers to good use, but one stands out from the rest: the sandwich. A great number of recipes exist that craftily involve a conglomeration of all of the leftovers between two slices of bread. Fun as that may be, a simpler pairing of flavors is the best way to prolong the culinary enjoyment of Thanksgiving. 

Beautifully crafted charcuterie boards boast countless types of cheeses and fruit pairings (as well as many other items such as crusty bread or crackers). I love nothing more than tucking some brie and pears aside to save for a delectable turkey sandwich. Combining those ingredients with cranberry sauce as the condiment, some day-old crusty bread, and a bit of a lettuce garnish, a wonderful Thanksgiving leftover sandwich is born! 

Cranberry Turkey Sandwich
Time: 5+ minutes
Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients: 

2 pieces crusty bread, like sourdough
3 slices of pear, Bartlett, or Asian varieties are great
1-2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
A few slices of brie cheese
1/2 cup leftover turkey pieces, either light or dark meat
Romaine leaf lettuce piece
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F. 

2. Spread the cranberry sauce onto both pieces of bread. Begin constructing the sandwich by layering the pear, cheese, turkey, and lettuce. Carefully spread the softened butter onto the outsides of the bread. 

3. Place the sandwich onto the baking sheet and into the preheated oven. After 2 minutes, flip over the sandwich and continue baking for an additional 2 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and immediately enjoy!