Growing up, my dad always looked forward to his leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich piled high and slathered with mayo and cranberry relish. There is no denying it remains to be a really delicious way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, but this year I’m excited to try a new family tradition where everyone can get in on the fun–making potstickers with a whole host of holiday leftovers.
For years, I’ve heard beautiful memories from my husband and his children about their potsticker assembly cooking sessions. That’s what’s great about potstickers. They truly are a team sport! While your extended family is in town, especially the kiddos, making potstickers is a great way to bond over a cooking activity that you’ll remember for years to come.
And for those of us who hate to waste food, potstickers help you get creative so that even those leftover cranberries get put to good use in the form of a spicy dipping sauce! The really cool thing is that I’m sure your family will find their own creative combination this year as you mix ingredients. My husband, who truly is a pro at making these, was delightfully surprised by my leftover sweet potato version in a brown butter sauce. I’m counting on the fact that we’ll have a whole tray to freeze and enjoy on another weeknight when we’re hankering for some of those delicious creations we made together with family!
- Leftover turkey, dark and white meat, approximately 2 cups
- Cremini mushrooms, 8 oz., pre-sliced
- Savory (or Napa) cabbage, 1 small
- Green onions, 1 small bunch
- Vegetable oil, 1-2 TBSP
- Soy sauce, ¼ cup
- Sesame oil, 2-3 TBSP
- Potsticker (Gyoza) wrappers, 1 package
- Leftover cranberry sauce, ½ cup
- Soy Sauce, 1 TBSP
- Rice wine vinegar, 1 TBSP
- Sriracha sauce (or chili sauce), ¼ tsp
- Red chili flakes, ¼ tsp
- Chop leftover turkey into small pieces.
- Chop cabbage, mushrooms, and green onion into small pieces (mince).
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add enough vegetable oil to coat the surface, followed by the mushrooms, cabbage, and green onion. Saute on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Once the vegetables start to wilt, add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and mix vegetables with the cut up turkey.
- To make the cranberry dipping sauce, place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together. Set aside for cooked potstickers.
- Put tap water in a small bowl. You’ll use this to help seal the potstickers.
- Hold the round potsticker dough in your hand. First, dip your finger in the water and run it around the outer edge of the potsticker round.
- Next, using a spoon, put your filling in the center of the round. Be careful to not overstuff your potsticker!
- Fold the dough over the filling to form a half circle. Seal the edges with your hand.
- As a design technique, you can pinch a little skin and fold along the edge of the potsticker (starting at the center and working towards each of the edges).
- Make as many potstickers as you can until your filling runs out! I like to line them up on a cookie sheet. We press them down a little when we set them down, which will help the bottoms to brown when you fry them in the pan. Any potstickers we don’t cook that day, we freeze on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag until ready to cook on another day.
- Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
- When the oil is warmed, place potstickers flat side down in the pan. Allow bottoms to brown for 3-4 minutes. Note: you'll have to cook potstickers in batches. Try not to overcrowd your pan.
- Once you’ve gotten a good browning on the bottoms of the potstickers, add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover to help them steam and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Once the water has evaporated, you can add a little more sesame oil to the pan if you desire for flavor and to finish browning the potstickers in the pan.
- Leftover mashed sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole
- Potsticker (Gyoza) wrappers, 1 package
- Vegetable oil, 2 tsp.
- Butter, 4 TBSP (cubed)
- Sage (fresh), 3 leaves, chopped
- Place leftover mashed sweet potatoes (or sweet potato casserole) into a bowl.
- Make the brown butter sage sauce and set aside: heat butter over medium high heat until milk solids start separating from butterfat. Swirl butter in pan. When you start to smell hazelnuts and brown bits start to form, add the chopped sage and remove from heat.
- Put tap water in a small bowl. You’ll use this to help seal the potstickers.
- Hold the round potsticker dough in your hand. First, dip your finger in the water and run it around the outer edge of the potsticker round.
- Next, using a spoon, put your filling in the center of the round. Be careful to not overstuff your potsticker!
- Fold the dough over the filling to form a half circle. Seal the edges with your hand.
- As a design technique, you can pinch a little skin and fold along the edge of the potsticker (starting at the center and working towards each of the edges).
- Make as many potstickers as you can until your filling runs out! I like to line them up on a cookie sheet. We press them down a little when we set them down, which will help the bottoms to brown when you fry them in the pan. Any potstickers we don’t cook that day, we freeze on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag until ready to cook on another day.
- Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
- When the oil is warmed, place potstickers flat side down in the pan. Allow bottoms to brown for 3-4 minutes. Note: you'll have to cook potstickers in batches. Try not to overcrowd your pan.
- Once you’ve gotten a good browning on the bottoms of the potstickers, add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover to help them steam and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Once the water has evaporated, add the brown butter sage sauce to the pan and coat sweet potato potstickers in the sauce.