Grilled Leftover Sandwich

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas right around the corner, the family feast is usually filled with a surplus of leftover food, sending Grandmas, Aunts and Uncles all home with plastic zippered bags full of goodies.  Within 30 minutes start to finish, you can enjoy a delicious twist on holiday leftovers that leaves the microwave begging for use. If you’re tiring from the Thanksgiving leftovers as I was, here’s a fantastic, simple recipe that’ll get that food used up before it goes in the freezer to be tossed out in March.

In the Northland, our weather has been fairly mild, so even the timid should be able to get out and grill this tasty treat even into December.   To call this hand-held delicacy a sandwich isn’t quite right. The grilled Thanksgiving leftover sandwich is similar to a Stromboli or “Hot Pocket” and can utilize any of your pre-cooked leftovers.  The treats I made this afternoon included nothing more than turkey, stuffing and some slices of cheese, although they would have been great with some mashed potatoes or cranberries stuffed inside as well.

To get started, prepare your grill to a medium-high heat of about 350-375°F.  While the grill is heating, remove the dough from a 13oz. package of pizza crust (I used the Pillsbury crust in a can).  Similar crust can be made from croissant dough easily as well.  Place the dough on a cutting board, roll or press smooth and cut in half.  Each can of prepared dough will make 2 sandwiches.

In the center of the dough, place your leftovers and fold the dough lengthwise on top, pinching the seam closed with your fingers.  Fold the ends together as you would in wrapping a present, and turn the sandwiches over so the seams and ends are on the bottom.  Before transferring to the grill, brush the entire sandwich with a light coat of olive oil to prevent it from sticking to the grates of your grill and help encourage even browning of the crust.

Place the sandwiches over indirect heat in the grill, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Using a large metal spatula, carefully turn the sandwiches 45 degrees and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Flip the sandwiches over and repeat the process, cooking for only about 2 minutes before turning.

From the time you light the coals to the time dinner is ready, you’ve got a fantastic, easy-to-prepare method for utilizing your leftovers in less than 30 minutes.  Not only is it an economical route to go, you will be amazed at how the flavors of the grill infuse in the dough to create a medley of tastes and aromas that resembled nothing like that holiday meal yet are just as tender and delicious as if you just  made everything fresh. 

Keep on grillin’