Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts



With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I'm still not sure what all I'll be making this year.  My menu changes from year to year.  Well, mostly just the side dishes, because there are a few recurring dishes that make an appearance at our Thanksgiving table each year; roast chicken instead of turkey (because turkeys are hard to come by in Small Town, Mexico), pumpkin pie, Cajeta Pecan Pie, and of course, mashed potatoes.  Lots and lots of fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes.  Hubby, the kiddies, and I all love mashed potatoes, so I always make sure to make extra, because the leftovers can be used to create some of my family's favorite dishes like Potato Enchiladas and Tacos Dorados de Papa (fried potato tacos).

But when I was a little girl, the one thing I looked forward to most was the day after Thanksgiving breakfast, because my grandpa always made Tortitas de Papa (potato patties) with the leftover mashed potatoes.  Little golden fried, cheesy potato patties topped with a tomato salsa.  I remember sneaking a couple of Tortitas de Papa while Pappy was cooking because I could never wait until he was finished frying all of the potato patties.  Then I'd sneak a few more after breakfast, because they were just too good to resist.

What's on the menu in your Cocina for Thanksgiving?  And what do you do with the leftovers?


Silver Dollar Potato Patties w/ Tomato-Chipotle Salsa
(Tortitas de Papa) 

Ingredients:

  • 3 large roma tomatoes
  • 1 to 2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
  • 2 to 3 cups cold mashed potatoes
  • 1 cup of your favorite cheese, shredded (I used manchego) 
  • 1 large egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Directions:


In a small saucepan, bring the tomatoes to a boil with 2 cups of water.  Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.  Puree the tomatoes with 1 to 2 chipotle chilies in a blender until smooth; season with salt and set aside.

Combine the cold, leftover mashed potatoes with the shredded cheese, stirring to combine well.


Scoop 1/8 cup of mashed potatoes and shape into balls; flatten slightly.  Once all of the patties have been formed, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until very firm.


Break the egg in to a small bowl and beat slightly to break the yolk.  Combine the flour and seasoning salt in a separate bowl.  Dip each potato patty in the egg, making sure both sides are completely covered.


Transfer the potato patties to the flour, turning to make sure both sides are evenly coated.  Gently dust off the excess flour.


Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry the potato patties until golden brown on both sides.  The potato patties can be enjoyed plain or topped with leftover cranberry sauce for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.


But my favorite way to eat Tortitas de Papa is topped with the tomato-chipotle salsa.  It makes for a delicious breakfast served with a slice of ham and a fried egg.

Enjoy!!!



What do you do with your leftovers?  For more Thanksgiving leftovers ideas be sure to check out what my #SundaySupper friends have cooked up for you this week.


Breakfast & Brunch

Main Course

Soups, Salads, Sides & Starters

Sweets & Desserts

Wine Pairings for the Recipes Featured

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on November 18.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We’d also love to feature your recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

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Silver Dollar Potato Patties w/ Tomato-Chipotle Salsa #SundaySupper

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my all-time favorite holiday!  Although, I don't get to celebrate it as I would in the States, the feelings and memories remain.

The main dish that many Americans will be preparing tomorrow is turkey.  I love turkey!  But I didn't always feel that way.

My grandparents never made turkey.  If we didn't spend Thanksgiving with family and friends, we spent it at church.  Some of the turkeys I tasted were very dry and not very tasty.

For my first Thanksgiving as a married woman, I had no idea how to make a turkey.  But I had to learn fast, because my hubby's boss gave all of his employees a turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I perused every cookbook and magazine I could get my hands on.  All of the recipes looked so pretty, but how to choose the right recipe for my first turkey? 

With so many choices, it was difficult to make a decision.  So I did what anyone in my situation would have done.  I called one of my favortie aunts, who worked in the restaurant business for many years, for some advice.  Aunt Marian was a godsend.  I followed her directions exactly and the result was the best tasting and juiciest turkey I ever had.  It was so good, that friends and family started asking me for advice on how to roast a turkey.  I've shared Aunt Marian's tips with them and now I'm sharing them with you.
  • Start to defrost your turkey 3 days before Thanksgiving.  To do this, place it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.
  • Preheat your oven to 475º F.
  • Prepare your stuffing before you rinse your turkey.  The stuffing needs to cool to room temperature before placing it inside the turkey.  Hot stuffing inside a cold turkey leads to a bunch of bacteria that you don't want to mess with!
  • Rinse your turkey, inside and out with cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels.
  • If you are going to stuff your turkey, do so now!
  • Generously brush the turkey with melted butter that has cooled.  You want to brush the butter into every nook and cranny of your turkey!
  • Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over your turkey.
  • Place turkey in a roasting pan or large baking pan.  Tuck the turkey wings under the turkey.  (This will prevent them from burning.)  Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
  • Place the roasting pan in the oven.  (If using an aluminum roasting pan, be sure to support the bottom of the pan with both hands or your turkey will end up on the floor.)
  • Bake the turkey at 475º F for an hour or until the turkey has a nice golden brown color all over. 
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 350º F and cover turkey with aluminum foil.  Allow turkey to cook for 20 minutes per pound of turkey. 
  • Remove turkey from oven, but DO NOT remove the aluminum foil cover.  Let the turkey sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
  • Enjoy the juicy, fall-off-the-bone goodness!
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

With Love,
Leslie Limon

*Photo courtesy of goodhousekeeping.com

Last Minute Turkey Tips

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