a few years ago, kacey’s family began a tradition of serving hot browns for breakfast the day after thanksgiving. my sister-in-law made them one year and they were a huge hit! they’re perfect for the day after turkey day since they use up some of that leftover turkey everyone has! i look forward to them every year.

my sister-in-law tweaked the original recipe to make it easier to feed a larger group. with her permission, i thought i’d share it with all of you!

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thanksgiving hot browns  // serves 8-10

8 oz. whole butter
8 oz. all purpose flour
2 qt. heavy cream
2 qt. milk
2 beaten eggs
ground nutmeg
2 cups pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, plus 4 tablespoons for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
3 lbs. leftover turkey
8 slices of texas toast (crust trimmed)
16 slices of crispy bacon
8 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
paprika
parsley

in a large saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. whisk heavy cream and milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in pecorino romano cheese until the mornay sauce is smooth. then, slowly wisk in the beaten eggs. return to a low heat stirring constantly until sauce thickens. remove from heat, grate in a large pinch of nutmeg (i like grating fresh from whole nutmeg), add salt and white pepper to taste (black or red is fine, but it will effect sauce color). cook bacon.  [to save time, these steps can be done a day or two in advance and refrigerated.]

toast bread. cut roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet. broil in oven until lightly charred.

tear/shred leftover turkey and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish, top with mornay sauce, reheat in microwave until warm. then broil in oven until cheese begins to brown and bubble. crumble large chunks of crispy bacon over top of casserole.

for each hot brown, top 1-2 slices of toast with turkey mornay casserole. take the two halves of roma tomato and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. sprinkle entire plate with additional shredded parmesan cheese, paprika and parsley. enjoy!

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posting will be light for the rest of the week as we wrap up a few projects and spend time with family. happy thanksgiving!

photo via the brown hotel