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Leftover turkey poutine, AKA the best thing to ever happen to Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers! Crispy fries and creamy, melty cheese curds are smothered in homemade or leftover gravy and chopped turkey for a post-holiday meal that’s way better than any sandwich out there. This is my favorite leftover turkey recipe yet!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- First things first… this isn’t authentic poutine. We all know that. It IS, however, a quick, easy, and ridiculously delicious poutine-inspired leftover turkey recipe that’s a great alternative to sandwiches and soups. I’m not even joking when I say this might be the best leftover turkey recipe I’ve made yet, and believe me, I’ve made several!
- It’s a simple recipe, but there’s so much flavor in leftover turkey poutine that it’s almost hard to believe. Thick, rich gravy; chewy cheese curds; crispy french fries; and warm, tender turkey.
- If you cook a whole turkey for your holiday, use the bones to make an easy turkey stock. You can then use the turkey stock instead of beef stock to make the gravy for your poutine! Tasty, nutritious, and a great way to get as much as possible from every part of your holiday dinner.
Chef’s Tips
- If you really want to take your turkey poutine to the next level, include other Thanksgiving leftovers like stuffing or cranberry sauce. Reheat the stuffing, then crumble it over the layer of fries before adding the curds and turkey. Spoon the cranberry sauce on top of the gravy right before serving.
- Overestimate how many sweet potatoes you needed for your group? Use them to make your fries! Sweet potato fries would tie the whole “holiday leftovers” theme together nicely, and they’d add a little bit of sweetness to a decidedly savory dish. You could also use a bag of frozen sweet potato fries, cooked in the air fryer just like the regular fries.
- If you’re using leftover gravy, you can reheat the gravy and the turkey at the same time in the same saucepan. That just makes the whole process that much faster! Use low heat and stir often.
Leftover Turkey Poutine
Forget the sandwiches. This quick and easy poutine-inspired recipe is the best way to use leftover holiday turkey.
servings
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- air fryer or desired method to cook fries
- Cooking spray
- Large skillet or microwave-safe plate
- Shallow bowl or shallow dish
Ingredients
For the Gravy (From Scratch)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 splash apple cider vinegar
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste, "lots" recommended
For the Gravy (From Leftovers)
- 3 cups leftover gravy
For the Fries
- 1 1-pound bag frozen french fries any cut, any brand; see Notes
For the Toppings
- ½-1 cup cooked turkey cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1-1 ½ cups white cheddar cheese curds at room temperature, see Notes
- chives minced, optional
Instructions
For the Gravy (From Scratch)
- Heat medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add butter and let butter melt until foaming, swirling saucepan occasionally to distribute butter.
- Sprinkle flour into saucepan with melted butter. Whisk constantly until ingredients are combined and mixture is golden-blonde, approximately 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in 3 cups beef stock, whisking constantly to incorporate.
- Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture has reduced down to approximately 2 cups.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in apple cider vinegar until fully incorporated, then season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside but keep warm.
For the Gravy (From Leftovers)
- Approximately 5 minutes before serving poutine, add 3 cups leftover gravy to medium saucepan. Warm gravy on stovetop over low heat, stirring constantly, until gravy is warmed through and consistency has thinned.
For the Fries
- Cook fries according to package directions.
- To cook fries in air fryer, preheat air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit. Lightly spray basket with cooking spray.
- Add frozen french fries to basket. Lightly spray tops of fries, then place basket in air fryer.
- Cook fries 5 minutes, then remove basket and shake well to toss fries. Check doneness of fries. Return basket to air fryer if needed and cook another 3 minutes. Repeat, checking doneness every 3 to 5 minutes, until fries are ready. Note: total cook time should not exceed 20 minutes.
- When fries are cooked as desired, remove fries from air fryer basket and set aside.
For the Turkey
- Heat large skillet over medium heat. When skillet is warm, add turkey. Cover turkey with 1 tablespoon prepared gravy or 2 tablespoons beef stock.
- Simmer turkey until warmed through and tender, but not piping hot. When turkey is ready, remove skillet from heat and set aside.
For the Poutine
- If needed, reheat gravy over high heat, stirring frequently.
- Place fries in shallow bowl or dish. Top fries with generous amounts of cheese curds. Add warm turkey, ladle gravy over dish to cover, then garnish with minced chives if desired and serve immediately.
- Gravy: Choose one form of gravy – either made from scratch specifically for your poutine, or leftover from your holiday dinner. If you’re using leftover gravy, you can add it and the turkey to the saucepan together and reheat them over low heat at the same time.
- Fries: If you’d rather, you can make your own fries from scratch. Check out our recipe for homemade french fries in our air fryer french fries post. You’ll want to use 2 pounds of potatoes to make your fries, to be sure you’ve got the right amount for this recipe.
- Cheese Curds: If you can’t find or don’t want to use cheese curds, you can use chunks of mozzarella – but they need to be torn from a block of low-moisture mozzarella.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 598calProtein: 20gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 1124mgPotassium: 908mgTotal Carbs: 43gFiber: 6gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 37gVitamin A: 377IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 240mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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