Recipe for Thanksgiving Fritters

The beauty of Thanksgiving leftovers is that they taste great pretty much no matter what you do with them.

Slap stuffing, turkey and cranberry sauce between slices of bread and you have a great sandwich (add cheese and pop the whole thing in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes and it's even better).

Or simmer the turkey meat, mashed potatoes, vegetables and gravy with a few quarts of chicken broth for a hearty soup (season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a touch of cayenne).

Then there's Thanksgiving macaroni and cheese. Toss cooked noodles with chopped turkey, shredded cheese and vegetables, then transfer to a baking pan. Top with a thin layer of stuffing and more cheese, then bake until browned.

And, of course, there are fritters, an easy way to use just about any leftovers. These are served with a sauce made from cranberry sauce and tomato salsa, but leftover gravy would be delicious, too.

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Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

1/2 cup tomato salsa

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup stuffing

1 cup chopped cooked vegetables

1 1/2 cups chopped turkey meat (or more)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced onion

2 eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 200 F.

In a small saucepan, combine the cranberry sauce and salsa. Mix well and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, turkey meat, parsley, onion, eggs, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well. Place the breadcrumbs in a large, shallow bowl.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. With lightly floured hands, form about 1/3 cup of the mashed potato mixture into a patty, then set it in the bowl of breadcrumbs, turning it to lightly coat both sides.

One or two at a time, place the patties in the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Transfer the fritters to a baking sheet and place into he oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Serve fritters with warm cranberry salsa.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: J.M. Hirsch can be e-mailed at jhirsch(at)ap.org.