4th of July Leftover Inspiration, from One Potato! ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ธ
We're bringing you a quick list of ways to use those leftovers.
The skies lit up last night and our celebration of the 248th birthday of the country included someย BBQ classics.ย We started with fool-proof hot dogs and hamburgers, added some zesty grilled chicken and steak and finished with watermelon and red, white and blue cookies.ย So whatโs next?ย Some celebratory leftovers.ย This year, weโre repurposing leftovers with a skewer theme that gets the kids involved. The only supply you need is bamboo skewers to turn your leftovers into edible works of art.
๐ Happy Independence Day! ๐
We hope you and your family are celebrating in good health all weekend long.
Hot Dogs or Veggie Dogs
We donโt always have leftover hot dogs, but when we do, we like to make dog kebabs.ย A fun project for kids (slicing the dogs with a plastic knife is an option) and stacking them on skewers with chunks of cooked potato and pepper will yield a quick-to-make and heat (5 minutes on the grill or under the broiler) main dish, and can be easily complemented with coleslaw or salad with a One Potato sauce. Donโt forget your One Potato homemade ketchup.
Hamburgers or Impossible Burgers
Hamburgers are so versatile as leftovers and the quickest way to make a new meal is to crumble into a pan with sautรฉed onions, some chili seasoning and a jar of tomato sauce.ย Sprinkle in some fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme) if you have, season with Worcestershire sauce if you want, and mix on medium flame until the meat and sauce are heated through.ย Ladle the saucy meat right on top of a toasted leftover bun (you know the old โSloppy Joeโsโ from summer camp!) and serve with a side salad.
Chicken
Grilled chicken can make a great chicken salad or, once shredded, can be wrapped into an Asian chicken spring roll, with carrots and snow peas. Use your skewers to make pinwheel small rolled sandwiches with leftover grilled chicken, sliced cheese, and mayonnaise or dressing. You can also re-heat shredded grilled chicken in a pan with a batch of our Latin BBQ Sauce and whip up our favorite One Potato arepas. Use leftover coleslaw or shredded cabbage to add crunch to the arepas.
Steak or Portobello Mushrooms
We like to use our steak leftovers as kabobs (see hot dogs above) or on top of a salad for a more refreshing lunch. In fact, weโre revisiting the One Potato DIY Steak Salad Sandwich, serving leftover potato salad on the side.ย
Corn
We always make extra corn so we can transform the roasted sweet kernels into a corn salad.ย Slice the kernels off the cob and mix with any dressing you have on hand - from store-bought ranch to One Potatoโs zesty lemon vinaigrette.ย Add diced pepper, avocado, black beans and/or cilantro if you like more color and flavor.
Watermelon
On hot summer days, you can never have too much watermelon! Our kids love using a melon ball scooper to create watermelon balls for a red, white, and blue bang with pears, nectarines or bananas and blueberries. If you have watermelon slices leftover, no need to scoop, so you can simply stack the fruit on a skewer to build a healthy snack or dessert. (Pro Tip: Squeeze lemon on the white fruits to add a zesty kick and to keep them from turning brown.)
Do you have other leftover components that you whip up into new dishes? Pop into the comments section or send us a DM to tell us which of these you try out, or any that we havenโt thought of!