Leftover Turkey Tostada, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

Turkey and Cornbread Stuffing Tostada!

I learned two important lessons when I made my Leftover Turkey Sandwich last year:

1. I learned that you have to evenly spread the ingredients across ALL of the bread.
2. I learned not to “over-toast” the bread.

You’ll see both of those issues addressed in this year’s edition of the Leftover Turkey Sandwich.

Today begins the Mardi Gras of Turkey Sandwiches and this is a friendly reminder not to blow your wad on Thanksgiving Dinner.  I’m not saying you can’t eat till your full, but it’s easy to gorge yourself to the point where you can’t eat for the rest of the day.  It’s a common mistake and I’m here to remind you NOT to do that.

Here’s the game plan:

1. Eat early.  I recommend a late lunch, maybe around 1:30.
2. Lay down on the couch and watch the Lions get their ass beat… slowly doze off.
3. Wake up invigorated. Go outside and toss the football around for 10 minutes.
4. Come back inside and start planning out a Turkey Sandwich.  Get those stomach juices flowing.
5. Around 6pm – get after it.  Make yourself a kick-ass Turkey Sandwich.

Easy as that, folks.  Just don’t blow your wad too early.  That’s not good for anyone.

BBQ Turkey Nachos, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

It’s almost the best day of the year – Thanksgiving. The next best day of the year is the day after Thanksgiving because of the leftovers.

Here is one of my favorite things to make with the leftovers – BBQ Turkey Nachos. I used a Raspberry Chipotle sauce on this batch and it was incredible.

Neal’s Turkey Sandwich, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

I get this question a lot: “Neal, when you make a Turkey Sandwich, how do you make it?”

Fair question. One would think that the guy who reviews all of these Turkey Sandwiches from around the country would know how to make one himself. And that would be correct.

WARNING: It may look like much, but this Turkey Sandwich is not for the faint of heart.

Here’s how you make it:

Get a whole wheat hoagie bun. Add some PASTRAMI FLAVORED TURKEY – preferrably Boar’s Head. Add PEPPER JACK cheese.

Microwave for 1 minute

Open up the sandwich and spread some french onion dip as your condiment. Then add some CHOLULA HOT SAUCE.

Eat.

That’s it. I promise you will enjoy the shit out of this Turkey Sandwich.

Today, October 31, 2009, was the big day.  The Rackhouse Pub opened today and unveiled what will probably be one of the hottest attractions in Denver.  No, not the 20-some-odd Colorado craft brews or the Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.  The hot attraction is their “Stewart’s Turkey” sandwich.

Although we were not the first lunch patrons in the pub’s existence, I was the first to have the Stewart’s Turkey – see video below:

My reaction after eating the rest of the burger/sandwich – it’s really good and worthy of the Stewart name.  I was not consulted on the creation of this sandwich, but I’m proud to have my name associated with it.

Here’s an ingredient-by-ingredient break down of Stewart’s Turkey:

• The Turkey Burger itself – solid.
• Cheese – i’m not a HUGE brie fan, but this was a very mild brie and it was better probably because it was melted.
• Tomato – I have a weird thing about tomatoes. I hate them when they are plain, but I love salsa, spaghetti sauce and bruschetta.  In other words, I like tomatoes when they are seasoned.  The tomatoes on this burger are awesome.  They seriously make the sandwich.
• Balsamic drizzle – I don’t know if I have had a Turkey Sandwich with balsalmic vinaigrette on it.  It’s not a combination you hear about everyday.  I’m a big fan of balsalmic though.  In fact, I usually get it on the salad that I order once a year.
• Bun – don’t act like the bun’s not a big deal.  It is. I like the fact that it’s a MULTI-GRAIN bun.  Kind of like me. I’m MULTI-TALENTED.

That’s it.  Go get yourself a Stewart’s Turkey at the Rackhouse Pub.  Think of it as a tribute to the Turkey Sandwich Report.  Oh, and tell ‘em Stewart sent ya.

From time to time, the Turkey Sandwich Report gets a some questions about sandwiches.  We are a full-service blog and we want to make sure our loyal readers get the answers they need.  So, let’s open up the ol’ Turkey Sandwich Report and see what people want to know.

What kind of cheese would you suggest for someone who is new to the different kinds of cheese? I just want to know what would be best for a plain turkey sandwich – turkey, lettuce, pickle, mayo, etc.

-Jenny

Jenny, I always tell people to start simple.  I’ve seen too many people go nuts with their cheese selections in the early stages and go off the deep end they’re never able to recover.  We don’t want that to happen to you.  I think Swiss is a nice, easy going cheese and pairs well with a lot of different kinds of Turkey.

From there, your progression should be: Provelone, Mild Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, Mozzarella, Havarti, Pepper Jack, Medium Cheddar, Cream Cheese, Asiago, Port Wine, Gouda, Smoked Gouda, Brie, Sharp Cheddar, Gorgonzola and finally White Stilton.

IMPORTANT NOTE: BEGINNERS SHOULD FOLLOW THIS LIST EXACTLY. NO DEVIATIONS.

You might be asking about Feta cheese and wondering why it’s not on the list.  This is on purpose.  Feta and Jarlsberg don’t belong on Turkey Sandwiches. 

Fancy Turkey Sandwich, originally uploaded by nealdstewart.

Not all Turkey Sandwiches come from shit-hole delis, gas stations or dirt bag taverns. Even the Turkey Sandwich Report steps up in class every once in a while.

We really stepped it up last night in Seattle after seeing Ben Folds perform with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the TSR dined at local hot spot, Purple Cafe. Sure they offer “syrah poached mission figs with prosciutto di parma” and “roasted new zealand pork chops”, but they also offer a Turkey Sandwich.

This particular Turkey Sandwich comes with Harvari, crisp bacon (fucking good bacon, too),  red pepper mayo and a nice mixed greens salad on the side.  As you can see from the photo, it’s a nice presentation.  I chose to pair my Turkey Sandwich with a nice Pinot Noir from Napa.  I thought that the roasted turkey and salty bacon did a nice job of bringing out the citrus flavor of the dry pinot.  Very nice.

See, even the Turkey Sandwich can class its ass up every once in a while.  You didn’t think we had it in us did you?

Next up, we’ll be debating whether Turkey Bologna is really a Turkey Sandwich or Bologna Sandwich.

Big news people.  My protege, Chris Rippe is opening a bar in Denver called the Rackhouse Pub.  It’s in the same building as the new Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distillery.  That’s all fine and dandy, but the really big news is that he will be serving a Turkey Sandwich called “Stewart’s Turkey.”

Yes, that’s right – there is now a Turkey Sandwich named after yours truly, the Founder of this Turkey Sandwich Report.  I visited Chris today and talked to him about this epic sandwich. Click here or on the video below to view why he named it after me.

The Rackhouse Pub opens on 10/30/09.  You can follow them on Twitter here.