Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays as of late. Now that I am no longer cooking in a professional kitchen, I cherish the day off to spend with my kids, wife and immediate family. I seldom got the opportunity to take full advantage of a holiday like turkey day. If I had the luxury of having the holiday off, I always had the impending “running prep list” in my head for the next day- the restaurant being closed for a day was always a blessing and a curse in my mind. It was great to have that day off, but starting from scratch after the restaurant being closed for the day was never my favorite.
I guess now that I give it some thought, it makes total sense that the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich is one of my favorite parts of the holiday. I had missed roughly half of the Thanksgivings over my professional cooking career, thus resulting in tupperware containers and foil packets of leftovers from the big dinner: a sign of what was missed while I was pushing out endless plates of turkey dinners at work. It was then that I would pile my Dad’s expertly roasted turkey, perfect stuffing, fresh cranberry relish and sublime gravy on some quality bread and have my own little thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving dinner at my parents last week was perfect; tasty food, great conversation and zero toddler meltdowns. My Dad (a former chef, also) proved himself once again as the maestro of the holiday dinner. Although I enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner 2013 immensely, I found it funny that when everyone was complimenting him on how great the meal was, I was thinking how all these perfect ingredients would make a killer sandwich when hunger struck again, much later that evening.
So after we got home, put the kids to bed, and I made myself the obligatory Thanksgiving night cocktail, I began constructing what can only be dubbed as “The 9:00 sandwich.”
The Nashoba Brook 7 grain bread serves as the perfect vessel …hearty, dense, and made with incredible ingredients. I adore the Nashoba Brook deli loaves that we distribute. The 7-grain variety boasts all organic ingredients and is studded with the ingenious addition of organic dates. The sourdough starter they use for their breads adds the perfect underlying tang. If I could only choose one bread to make a sandwich on for the rest of my life, it most likely would come from Concord’s own Nashoba Brook Bakery.
Next year, when the holiday hits, make sure you have some quality artisan bread such as Nashoba 7 grain to pile high with all your favorite turkey day leftovers and construct your own 9:00 sandwich tradition.