Turkey, Cranberry and Brie Panini

Does anyone besides me have leftover turkey around the house today? 

Thanksgiving is one holiday where people look forward to leftovers just as much as they do to the actual dinner. There is always a ton of food to work with (especially if your family is anything like mine and tends to overcook for the original meal) and there are lots of things you can do with those leftovers for a whole weekend of variety.

My favorite thing to make with leftover turkey, as I’ve mentioned before, is a good sandwich. Sandwiches just seem like so much less effort than anything really cooked, like soup or a similar dish that requires lots of prep, and are incredibly satisfying. This particular sandwich is a good one, too. It’s a combination of turkey, cranberry sauce and brie, toasted until it is a hot and melty panini sandwich. The cranberry sauce (or cranberry jelly) adds tartness and a lot of moisture to the sandwich, while the creamy brie holds it all together. It is absolutely idea for leftover chicken or turkey, but will work just as well with deli-sliced turkey on a non-holiday basis.

If you don’t have a panini maker or are simply want something a tiny bit quicker than a hot sandwich, you can easily use this combination for a regular sandwich. Just soften the brie at room temperature to make it easier to slice and layer everything on your favorite sandwich bread and eat it that way. It won’t have the same meltiness as the panini, but as you can see from the photo below, it still looks plenty tempting.

Turkey, Cranberry and Brie Panini
roasted turkey meat, pref. breast meat
cranberry sauce or jelly
brie
ciabatta or other bread

If bread is not already sliced, slice in half. Spread one side of the bread with brie cheese and one side with cranberry sauce. Be generous. Put a layer of turkey in between the two toppings and push the sandwich together. Toast in a panini maker (or working one side at a time in a hot frying pan, as though you’re making grilled cheese) until hot and melty.

Serve immediately.