What to do with leftover Christmas turkey

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Make the most of your Christmas Day leftovers with this vibrant, festive salad. It’s a wonderfully light and healthy salad, perfect for Boxing Day and beyond. Featuring seasonal favourites like berries, cherries, nectarines, or mango, this dish celebrates the flavours of summer while minimising food waste.

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2 cups of shredded, cooked, skinless turkey provide roughly 784–930 mg of tryptophan, depending on the exact weight and cut of the meat.  Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in turkey and other protein-rich foods, crucial for producing serotonin, melatonin and niacin (Vitamin B3). After digestion, tryptophan is absorbed in the small intestine and enters the bloodstream, where it competes with other amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier. In the brain, tryptophan is converted into serotonin and, subsequently, melatonin, supporting mood, sleep, and relaxation.

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I used a professional Combi oven, so you may need to lower the temperature to 200-210 C. I also baked 2 breasts, as pictured, for a cooking demo, this recipe calls for 1 breast. 

A 2.5 kg turkey breast will generally serve 6 to 8 people, depending on portion sizes and whether it’s part of a larger meal with sides.

If the turkey is the main protein, allow approximately 300–400 g per person (raw weight). If it’s served alongside other mains, it could stretch to 10 smaller servings. As a guide, allow approximately 15 minutes of cooking per 500 grams.

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Chef Sam Gowing presenting a variation of this recipe at The Cooking Retreat, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, QLD Australia.

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Festive Turkey Salad with Cranberry Gomasio

Recipe by Samantha Gowing

  • Total Time20 minutes
  • YieldServes 4
  • DietLow Fat

Gomasio is the principal table condiment of the Macrobiotic natural foods diet. Use it in lieu of salt to season your food at table, giving hearty delicious taste. It has a powerful ant-acid biochemical effect, strengthens digestion and improves energy immediately.

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Ingredients

Units Scale
For the salad 2 cups cooked turkey meat, skin off, shredded 2 apples, thinly sliced 1 cup rocket leaves 1 cup assorted sprouts 1 cup macadamia, roughly chopped 1/2 cup pomegranate arils Garnish Assorted micro herbs Edible flowers For the berry dressing 1 cup fresh berries, lightly mashed 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon raspberry or sherry vinegar 1 tsp honey or maple syrup 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 lemon, juice & zest of For the cranberry Gomasio 1/4 cup organic dried cranberries 1/4 cup raw black sesame seeds 1 tablespoon salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Shred the cooked turkey finely and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the apples, rocket leaves, sprouts and macadamias.
  2. In a small bowl, mix berries together with olive oil, vinegar, honey or maple syrup, Dijon mustard and  lemon juice and zest. Adjust seasoning to taste. Spoon the dressing onto a serving plater or individual plates, then spoon the salad on top. Alternately spoon the salad on the side
  3. Arrange pomegranate arils within the salad so the colours do not bleed into the apple slices. Sprinkle generously with freshly snipped micro herbs and flowers on top with cranberry Gomasio before serving.

For the cranberry Gomasio

  1. Place sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and toast over low heat, stirring often, until they become fragrant and start to pop. Transfer the toasted seeds to a mortar and pestle.
  2. Add the salt and gently grind to combine, add the finely chopped dried cranberries, continue to grind until you have a coarse crumb. Alternately you can do this in a small food processor or very clean coffee grinder.
  3.  Sprinkle the cranberry Gomasio over the salad just before serving for added crunch and a touch of tangy sweetness.

Notes

Store Gomasio in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.


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How to roast a turkey breast

Recipe by Samantha Gowing

  • Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
  • YieldServes 8
  • DietLow Fat

I used a professional Combi oven, so you may need to lower the temperature to 200-210 C. I also baked 2 breasts, as pictured, for a cooking demo, this recipe calls for 1 breast. 

A 2.5 kg turkey breast will generally serve 6 to 8 people, depending on portion sizes and whether it’s part of a larger meal with sides.

If the turkey is the main protein, allow approximately 300–400 g per person (raw weight). If it’s served alongside other mains, it could stretch to 10 smaller servings. As a guide, allow approximately 15 minutes of cooking per 500 grams.

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Ingredients

Units Scale
2.5 kg turkey breast, skin-on, single-side, boneless A few sprigs each of sage, thyme, rosemary 4–8 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly crushed with back of a chef’s knife 1 tablespoon macadamia oil, or a mix of your favourite oil with a little butter ½ tsp salt Cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. When you get home from the market or butcher, remove turkey from the plastic bag or paper, rinse turkey lightly and pat dry with paper towels. Cover with cling wrap and chill until required.
  2. About 1 hour prior to roasting, remove the breast from fridge and allow to come to room temperature, (less if it’s really hot in your kitchen.
  3. Preheat your oven to 220°C.  *note: I used a professional Combi oven, so you may need to lower the temperature to 200-210 C.
  4. If you have room in your preferred baking dish , place a trivet (small wire rack) then place the herbs and garlic, then add turkey, skin side up, on top. Check that everything will fit inside your oven, if not, rest the raw bird breast on the herbs and garlic on the base of the baking dish.
  5. Rub the skin with a tablespoon of macadamia oil, or a mix of your favourite oil with a little butter. Season well.
  6. Place the turkey in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 170-180 C. and bake a further 30 minutes.
  7. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast. It’s ready when the internal temperature reaches 75°C. For best results, check in multiple spots.
  8. If the skin starts to brown too much before the turkey is fully cooked, loosely cover it with foil.
  9. Remove the turkey from the baking dish and place it on a serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and allow it to rest for 15–20 minutes. Resting ensures the juices redistribute, keeping the meat tender.
  10. Slice and serve.

Table of Contents

Pan-seared cobia with seaweed, miso butter, almonds, microgreens and edible flowers, photographed by Nelly le Comte

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