Apart from the true meaning of Thanksgiving & Christmas Day, the holidays in general are all about indulging in good food and drink with family and friends. Many households spend time researching recipes, prepping and cooking, making dishes ahead of the big day and deciding which pie really is the best holiday dessert. Turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce are all undeniably delicious, but often, the real food-induced excitement comes the following day.
Holiday leftovers are a celebration in their own right. Often in the busy time leading up to festivities, the actual meal goes by in a bit of a blur and the whole day generally ends in a peaceful and satisfied cozy nest of overindulgence. But with the arrival of the next day comes a new chance to enjoy the tasty morsels that were so carefully prepared for the day before.
This brings us to the leftover turkey sandwich! It truly is one of the joys of the holidays! Although the traditional version is great, it can be made in many different forms such as this hot turkey sandwich loaf.

Servings |
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- olive oil for sautéing
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 1 small leek, green & white parts, finely sliced
- 250 gm sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, garlic & onion powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt & pepper OR to taste
- 450 gm French bread You will need to be able to cut about 16 slices in it
- 250 gm turkey breast, sliced OR use DELI smoked turkey slices instead
- 150 gm smoked OR extra old cheddar, sliced OR cheese of your choice
Ingredients
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- Very lightly grease a skillet with olive oil, put in the bacon & sauté until browned. Add the chopped shallot; sauté until softened, then add the leek. Stir together & remove from heat - you want the leeks to keep their color so don't overcook.
- In a bowl, whisk sour cream, eggs, mustard & spices together. Don't overmix, keep the mixture a little 'lumpy'.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Slice the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf & fill between the slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of turkey followed by some of the bacon, shallot & leeks.
- Place a large sheet of foil paper on a baking tray. Use the parchment paper to lift the bread & lay on top of the foil. Spoon some of the sour cream/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
- Finally, insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper & then wrap it in the foil to make a tight parcel.
- Place the wrapped bread into preheated oven for about 55 minutes, then OPEN out the foil & parchment paper. Place bread back in the oven until the top of the bread & its filling is golden brown. Remove from oven & serve hot.