Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks and celebrating the bountiful harvest. The star of the Thanksgiving meal is definitely the legendary turkey, large enough to feed the crowd. For a family of four members, I prefer to roast a butterball boneless turkey breast. Each one can enjoy a couple of slices of the breast rather than fight over who gets the breast, thigh or leg in case of an entire bird. Any leftover turkey can be used to make a picnic loaf. It is impressive, easy to assemble, transport and definitely loved by all.
We had just a couple of turkey breast slices left over after the Thanksgiving meal and my boys wanted more the next day. Fortunately, the butterball boneless turkey breast was on sale, so I had picked up two. While I roasted the first one in the oven on Thanksgiving day, the second one I cooked in an instant pot for the picnic loaf. It was quick, moist and delicious. With a huge country loaf from Costco lying around, I decided to stuff it. Hollowed and layered it with slices of turkey, leftover jellied cranberry sauce and fresh vegetables. Basically, the loaf can be filled with ingredients on hand, but in case you roasted an entire bird for Thanksgiving, shred and use any leftovers to make a picnic loaf. Sit back, relax and watch your family gobble, gobble, gobble.
We had just a couple of turkey breast slices left over after the Thanksgiving meal and my boys wanted more the next day. Fortunately, the butterball boneless turkey breast was on sale, so I had picked up two. While I roasted the first one in the oven on Thanksgiving day, the second one I cooked in an instant pot for the picnic loaf. It was quick, moist and delicious. With a huge country loaf from Costco lying around, I decided to stuff it. Hollowed and layered it with slices of turkey, leftover jellied cranberry sauce and fresh vegetables. Basically, the loaf can be filled with ingredients on hand, but in case you roasted an entire bird for Thanksgiving, shred and use any leftovers to make a picnic loaf. Sit back, relax and watch your family gobble, gobble, gobble.
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Picnic Loaf
(Serves 4 or 6)
Ingredients:
900 grams round loaf
1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs boneless butterball turkey (cooked and thickly sliced)
1 head of romaine lettuce
4 tomatoes (thickly slices)
8 jellied cranberry sauce slices
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
pepper powder
salt
Method:
Wash lettuce leaves, run in salad spinner and pat dry. Break each leaf into half.
Slice the top of the loaf horizontally and set aside.
Hollow out the bread leaving about 1 cm inside the crust. Reserve the scooped out bread to make breadcrumbs for a different dish.
Spread mayo, mustard on the inside of the bread and loaf top (lid).
Fill the loaf in separate layers with lettuce, jellied cranberry, turkey and tomato. Ensure to gently press down after each layer. Sprinkle pepper and salt over the tomato slices.
Place the loaf top, press down firmly and wrap tightly in clingfilm. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the loaf, cut into 6 pieces and serve.
Note:
Turkey
Ingredients:
1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs boneless butterball turkey (frozen)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups water
1 carrot (chopped into big pieces)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 bay leaves
Method:
In a bowl, mix the spice powders with olive oil.
Rub mixture over the netting on the frozen turkey.
In an instant pot, add water, carrot, celery, onion and bay leaves. Place the trivet and then turkey over it.
Pressure cook for 1 hour 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165 F or 74 C. Release steam immediately when done, carefully take out turkey from the pot. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Remove the netting and slice. Cool before layering in the loaf.
Note:
(Serves 4 or 6)
Ingredients:
900 grams round loaf
1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs boneless butterball turkey (cooked and thickly sliced)
1 head of romaine lettuce
4 tomatoes (thickly slices)
8 jellied cranberry sauce slices
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
pepper powder
salt
Method:
Wash lettuce leaves, run in salad spinner and pat dry. Break each leaf into half.
Slice the top of the loaf horizontally and set aside.
Hollow out the bread leaving about 1 cm inside the crust. Reserve the scooped out bread to make breadcrumbs for a different dish.
Spread mayo, mustard on the inside of the bread and loaf top (lid).
Fill the loaf in separate layers with lettuce, jellied cranberry, turkey and tomato. Ensure to gently press down after each layer. Sprinkle pepper and salt over the tomato slices.
Place the loaf top, press down firmly and wrap tightly in clingfilm. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the loaf, cut into 6 pieces and serve.
Note:
- No weight was placed over the loaf since moisture from the cranberry sauce and tomatoes makes the bread soggy.
- Picnic loaf can be layered with ingredients on hand like boiled eggs, cold meats, pepperoni or cooked meatballs with marinara sauce and cheese. Loaf with cheese can be baked in the oven at 400 F or 200 C until the cheese melts, around 10 minutes.
Turkey
Ingredients:
1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs boneless butterball turkey (frozen)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups water
1 carrot (chopped into big pieces)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 bay leaves
Method:
In a bowl, mix the spice powders with olive oil.
Rub mixture over the netting on the frozen turkey.
In an instant pot, add water, carrot, celery, onion and bay leaves. Place the trivet and then turkey over it.
Pressure cook for 1 hour 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165 F or 74 C. Release steam immediately when done, carefully take out turkey from the pot. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Remove the netting and slice. Cool before layering in the loaf.
Note:
- Turkey was cooked from frozen, which comes seasoned with salt.
- For gravy - Discard the bay leaves, puree the vegetables, cook down with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Ensure to mix the cornstarch well with water before adding to the vegetable puree. Simmer in the instant pot, thin down gravy with some water or cream. Season with pepper and salt. Use salt sparingly since puree may be salty with turkey drippings.
- Instead of a gravy, use vegetable puree to make a soup. Thin down with some water and a dash of cream. Season with pepper and salt.
