Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Club Sandwiches with Roasted Tomatoes and Chipotle Mayo

Recipe video by Vic Chin

A towering turkey sandwich is what we want the day after Thanksgiving…but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Try this one, stacked with roasted tomatoes, chipotle mayo, and crisp bacon.

One of my favorite sandwiches of all time is a pretty simple one: the turkey sandwich at Della Fattoria Café in Petaluma. It might not sound like much, but each part of it makes it great—thinly sliced, freshly roasted turkey, mayo, cheddar, crisp bacon, and great bread. With that sandwich in mind, I set out to create something a cut above the average post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich.

It starts with the bread. At Della they use their housemade Pullman bread made from their campagne dough – chewy, tender, with just enough density to make great toast. I used ciabatta bread – which has a nice thin crisp crust and a chewy interior – but you can use any great-quality sliced white or whole wheat bread, or even focaccia. Look for focaccia at any well-stocked Italian deli, make your own, or look for it at a well-stocked market. Use pieces that are about 5 to 6 inches square.

Since tomatoes are now officially out of season, I opted to roast a handful of them with a little kosher salt and olive oil. It takes a little (hands-off) time, but the concentrated flavor is so far superior to out-of-season sliced tomatoes at this time of year. Note that the recipe makes double what you need for 4 sandwiches, because, why go through all that trouble just for 4 sandwiches? Save the rest for more sandwiches another day, or chop them up and toss them with hot cooked pasta, some pesto sauce, and plenty of Parmesan cheese. There, I solved your dinner problem too!

Next, make a super-easy, full-of-flavor spicy mayo by just stirring some minced chipotle chile into prepared mayonnaise. If you want it less spicy, seed the chipotles before mincing, like I did. If you want it super spicy, leave them in! Of course, if you don’t want any spice, just use regular mayo.

Finally, don’t forget the bacon (or the turkey, for that matter). I used thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon but you can use any type of bacon you like.

Recipe: Turkey Club Sandwiches with Roasted Tomatoes and Chipotle Mayo

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 8 ripe plum tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1–2 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and minced, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
• 4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon
• 4 ciabatta buns
• 10–12 oz sliced leftover roast turkey
• 4 oz sliced cheddar (about 4 sandwich-sized slices)

Instructions:

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with olive oil. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, trim away the stem end, and gently squeeze out the seeds. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle all over with salt, and spread into an even layer, cut side up. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until slightly shrunken and beginning to caramelize. Set aside to cool. You can make the tomatoes up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You’ll only need half of the tomatoes, so see the note above for other ways to use them!

1. 1. While the tomatoes are roasting, in a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and chipotle and adobo. In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

1. 1. Spread each cut side of the bread with the chipotle mayo. Layer the bottom of each bun with cheddar, turkey, roasted tomatoes, and bacon, in that order. Top with the top slice of focaccia. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal. Serve.