Delectable ideas to deal with scrumptious leftovers from the Christmas table

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 28, 2015.

The presents may have been unwrapped, but the Christmas tree is still up and the cheery mood of the season is still very much in the air,  even though the big day is over. If you have leftovers from Christmas lunch or dinner, here are some recipes that will turn yesterday’s excess into tomorrow’s culinary masterpieces.

For breakfast: Ham and potato hash with baked beans and healthy ‘fried’ eggs

(Originally featured in BBC Good Food recipes)

Ingredients: 

600g potato, diced

2 leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced

175g chopped lean ham 

(weighed after trimming) 

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

5 eggs

2 x 415g cans baked beans 

(reduced sugar and salt is ideal)

Cooking spray

Directions:

Boil a large pan of salted water. Add the potatoes and boil for five minutes until just tender. Drain well and leave it in the colander to steam-dry.

Spray an ovenproof pan with cooking spray. Fry the leeks with a splash of water until very soft and squishy. Add a few more sprays of oil, then add in the potatoes and ham and fry until slightly crisp. Heat oven to 200°C.

Stir in mustard, one egg and a good amount of salt, with a fork break up some of the potatoes roughly as you do. Flatten down the mixture, spray the top with oil, and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is crisp.

When the hash is nearly ready, heat 200ml water in a non-stick frying pan with a lid. When it is steaming — but before it simmers — crack in the remaining four eggs and cover it with a lid. Cook for two to four minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Meanwhile, heat up the beans.

Lift an egg onto each plate, add a big scoop of hash and spoon on some beans. 

Snack ideas: Stuffed Croquettes

(From Alan McArdle, head chef at Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway, and originally featured in The Sunday Times) 

Ingredients:  

50g mashed potato 

150g stuffing

50g flour 

2 eggs, beaten 

50g breadcrumbs

Directions: 

Mix the potatoes and stuffing, divide it into six equal balls. 

Roll them in flour and shake off the excess.

Dip them into the egg, and roll it in breadcrumbs. 

Deep-fry until golden brown. 

Serve with any leftover meat.

Asian inspired: Turkey, coriander and coconut spring rolls

(By Guy Awford, originally featured in The Guardian)

Ingredients: 

750g cooked turkey, diced

150ml coconut milk

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp five-spice powder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3cm ginger

1 chilli 

1½ tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

20 brussels sprout, cooked and shredded

2 tbsp cornflour, whisked into 200ml cold water

A handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

16 spring roll wrappers

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Directions:

Mix the turkey with the coconut milk, sesame oil and five-spice powder.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a saucepan and fry the turkey mixture over high heat for a minute, stirring it continuously.

Blitz the garlic, ginger and chilli with the soy sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar. Add it to the turkey mixture. Cook for a minute, then add in the carrot. Cook for another minute, then add the brussels sprouts. After adding half of the cornflour water mixture, cook until it thickens. Stir in the coriander, remove the filling from the heat and let it cool.

Lay out a spring roll wrapper like a diamond, and place a tablespoonful of the filling one third of the way up. Fold the bottom edge over the filling. Brush the sides with the remaining cornflour water and fold in, to completely cover the filling. Pinch and roll up as tightly as you can. Brush the top corner with cornflour water, fold over to seal. Refrigerate for at least an hour before deep frying.

When it’s been fried, serve it with a dipping sauce of mirin with chopped ginger and soy sauce.

Healthy eating: Christmas couscous salad 

(By Darina Allen of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, originally featured in The Sunday Times) 

Ingredients:  

170g couscous

450ml chicken stock

600g leftover roast turkey, chicken 

or goose with some crispy skin 

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp dried cranberries or cherries 

2 tbsp sultanas

2 tbsp pistachio, shelled 

Lots of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Seeds from one pomegranate  

Freshly squeezed lime juice

4 heaped tbsp natural yoghurt 

Directions:

Place the couscous in a bowl. Pour the boiling chicken stock over the couscous, cover and allow it to plump up until the liquid has been fully absorbed. 

Shred the cooked turkey, chicken or goose and crispy skin into bite-sized pieces. Place the meat into a mixing bowl with the pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries or cherries, sultanas and pistachios. 

Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Dessert: Christmas pudding trifle 

(Originally featured in the BBC Good Food recipes)

Ingredients: 

3 oranges

1 tbsp demerara sugar

2 tbsp Grand Marnier

300g leftover Christmas pudding

500g custard

250g mascarpone cheese

300ml double cream

A handful flaked almonds, toasted

Some dark chocolate, grated

Directions:

Peel the oranges, ensuring all the pith is removed. Slice it as thinly as possible and arrange over a dinner plate. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar followed by the Grand Marnier and set aside.

Crumble the Christmas pudding into large pieces and scatter over the bottom of a trifle bowl. Lift the oranges onto the pudding in a layer and pour over any juices.

Beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth, then stir in the custard. Spoon the mixture over the top of the oranges.

Lightly whip the cream and spoon over the custard. Sprinkle it with flaked almonds and grated chocolate. You can make this a day in advance if you like, and chill it until its ready to be served.