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What to pair with those Turkey leftovers?
Our inaugural food and beer pairing series makes use of Thanksgiving leftovers
Joseph Lavoie
October 11, 2022
Good Morning!
Today we launch a new monthly series in which we pair a beer with an easy dinner or lunch recipe. It's part of our ongoing effort to mix up the content we bring you every Tuesday, and as always, we would love your feedback if you have 15 seconds to complete the poll at the bottom of this post.
With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, we thought it would be appropriate to kick off this series with a simple Thanksgiving sandwich with one simple rule: the recipe must be quick, and it must require as little work as possible. You did all the hard work over the weekend, take it easy this week.
Cheers,
— Joseph Lavoie
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The Dish
This turkey sandwich requires no cooking and makes use of traditional Thanksgiving leftovers, but no sweat if you don't have all of the ingredients on hand. The name of the game here is to stuff your leftovers into a sandwich, top it with cranberry sauce, then pour yourself a beer. Easy.
Ingredients
Serves 2
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 slices bread, ideally sourdough if you have some
2 cups leftover roasted turkey meat
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes
4 tbsp cranberry sauce
1/2 cup stuffing, if you have some
1/4 cup baby spinach
Directions
Spread the mayo on two of the four sides of bread, to start your base.
To each base, add 1 cup turkey, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, 2 tbsp cranberry sauce, 1/4 cup of stuffing (if using), and half the spinach.
Top with remaining bread slices. Slice in half, and serve with our recommended beer pairing, below.
The Beer
Farmhouse ales make for the perfect match for the sweet and tangy cranberry sauce, and to brighten up the meal. While we originally considered pairing this sandwich with a Belgian Tripel, we thought a lighter farmhouse ale would keep this pairing light, especially after a weekend of enjoying robust harvest meals. So we turned to a simple table beer by Dageraad Brewing.
Named after the city that Dageraad Brewing calls home, Burnabarian is an award-winning Belgian-style table beer that is lightly spiced with coriander which should heighten the turkey sandwich. It pours a light straw colour with a strong phenolic nose that hints at citrus fruits. This is a highly aromatic beer.
The flavours are typically saison—fruity and spicy while being both approachable and bold. The coriander is not obvious, but don't stress if you can't detect it, it is more harmony than melody and will accent the sandwich's flavours.
Brewed with a touch of oats, this beer surprises with a soft mouthfeel—certainly softer than you would expect in a traditional saison. The higher carbonation level makes for an effervescent experience, which brightens the sandwich.
This beer has won three gold medals and one silver at provincial and national competitions and is a quality session ale. Even if you don't have a sandwich to pair it with, it stands on its own. As we turn the corner on harvest season, we can't think of a better beer than a table beer to mark the occasion.