The “Friends” decade-long run gave us many memorable Thanksgiving moments: Monica’s turkey hat, Rachel’s beefy English trifle, the one where Chandler spends Thanksgiving in a shipping crate – but Ross’s tantrum over the loss of his Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich arguably tops them all.
As you might remember, this innovation of Monica’s – a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich made with a gravy-soaked piece of bread – is “the only good thing going on in” Ross’s life. It is so tasty that when Ross’s boss steals it from the office fridge, Ross has a meltdown of truly epic proportions.
Curious, we re-created this iconic take on Thanksgiving leftovers to see if it is truly meltdown-worthy. Aside from the gravy-soaked bread center, the makings of this sandwich are sort of vague, so we took some liberties. Since it’s a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, layers of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce seemed natural, as did traditional sandwich fixings like a bit of mayo and lettuce.
All in all, it’s a very big, very messy, carb-centric sandwich. If you’re a fan of french-fry-stuffed Pittsburgh sandwiches, we’d wager you’ll be a fan. If, like us, you find carbs on carbs to be a bit overwhelming, it’s likely more of a novelty than your new favorite way to eat leftover turkey and gravy.
Full (shameful) disclosure: like Ross’s boss, we found it to be “quite large” and “had to throw most some of it away.” Unless you have a big appetite, we suggest splitting it with a friend.
Nicole Perry is a former PS contributor.
“Friends” Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich
Nicole Perry
Notes
The amounts of ingredients are approximate; adjust to taste and the size of bread you’re using.
Ingredients
- 3 slices bread
Mayonnaise, to taste
Cranberry sauce, to taste
A few slices of roast turkey
1-2 tablespoons turkey gravy
2 leaves of red or green leaf lettuce
About 1/2 cup stuffing
Directions
- Toast the bread. For structural integrity, toast the bread on the darker side (especially with the slice that will become the moist maker). Spread 1 slice with mayonnaise, 1 with cranberry sauce. Top the cranberry-sauced slice with turkey.
- Spread a couple tablespoons of gravy in a shallow dish. Dip the remaining piece of bread in the gravy on both sides, spreading it evenly.
- Put the gravy-soaked piece of bread on top of the turkey. Put the lettuce on top of that. Put a layer of stuffing on top of the lettuce, and top the sandwich with the mayonnaise-spread piece of bread. Carefully cut the sandwich in half.
Information
- Category
- Main Dishes, Sandwiches
- Cuisine
- North American
- Yield
- 1 sandwich
