Bust Boxing Day leftover stash with these top-chef approved recipes

You don’t have to settle for dry, boring sandwiches and fridge-side grazing this Boxing Day, thanks to these recipes from some of Queensland’s top chefs.

Chef Kyle McNamara with dishes plated for Boxing Day leftovers recipes at The Velveteen Rabbit in Caxton St. Picture: John Gass

We have all been there on Boxing Day, taking trip after trip back to the fridge to pick on bits of cold leftover turkey or ham, to munch on a cold brussel sprout or eat a hunk of leftover cheesecake like an animal, but what if a team of experts showed you had to make the most of those endless leftovers.

You probably spent a lot of Christmas Day, elbow-deep in the kitchen, preparing a feast for the books, so why shouldn’t you get to enjoy the leftovers to the absolute fullest.

We rounded up some of the state’s best chefs to share the leftover busting recipes they can’t get enough of and now we have you covered for breakfast, lunch, desserts and drinks that will truly make the most of those bits and bobs stuffing your fridge fuller than a turkey.

Kyle McNamara’s Breaky Burger

Kyle McNamara, head chef at Petrie Terrace’s newest dining delight, Velveteen Rabbit, is perhaps one of the cities foremost experts at using every possible scleric of each ingredient, to create some truly masterful creations.

This breaky burger goes to show just some of that skill, and is still easily replicated at home, despite all the different homemade ingredients, this is an incredible option to beat that post-Christmas leftover stash.

Ingredients:

• Milk bun/damper roll/tiger bread roll
• Thick cut glazed ham
• Roast vegetable rosti (Left over roast vegetable from day before)
• Cheddar
• Pickled chilli, guindillas, pickled red chilli, something spicy and sour
• Fried egg

Herb emulsion

• 2 spring onions
• Half a bunch of parsley
• 1 tbsp of stripped thyme
• 1 tbsp of stripped oregano
• 1⁄2 tablespoon of sage
• Half a banana chilli
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 lemon juiced and zested
• Sunflower seed oil or whatever oil you prefer, bar olive oil

Dirty BBQ ketchup

• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 Granny smith apples
• 2 brown onions
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 100 ml malt vinegar
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1⁄2 tsp of fennel seed
• 1 large red chilli if you like the spice

Leftover roast veg rosti

• 200g of ideally starchy leftover veg (roast potatoes/sweet potato/pumpkin)
• 2 tbsp shaved cheddar
• 2 tbsp potato starch
• 2 egg yolks

Method:

Chef Kyle McNamara with dishes plated for Boxing Day leftovers recipes at The Velveteen Rabbit in Caxton St. Friday December 20, 2024. Picture, John Gass

Herb emulsion

1. Rough chop all your ingredients and place in a blender or food processor, add half the amount of oil until it ‘vortex’s’ in the bottom of the blender or starts to become smooth. and more oil if you need to let it down and become thinner, season to taste.
2. Set aside until ready to serve

BBQ Ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees,
2. Rough chop all ingredients,
3. place into a baking tray with all the seasonings, give them a thorough mix together so all the sugar and seasonings coat all of the items, place the tray with everything in it in the pre heated oven and roast, stirring every 15 minutes uncovered until it becomes Jammy in consistency, this might take 45 minutes to an hour for everything to cook down in a nice manor.
4. Once all ingredients have cooked down and colored, blend in a blender or food processor until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste, set aside until ready to serve

Leftover roast veg rosti

1. Mix everything together by hand so it stays nice and textural until all combined and then shape into sizes that will fit onto your bread roll
2. Fry in a pan on a nice medium heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides, sed aside until ready to assemble

Assemble

1. Prep the herb emulsion and BBQ ketchup one day ahead.
2. Slice and toast your bread roll in a pan with butter or in an oven at 160 degrees for 6 minutes until soft.
3. Chop up some of the leftover Christmas ham, be as generous as you see fit, more the merrier in my books.
4. Fry of in a pan until you get some nice caramelization going and generally there’s always some ham glaze leftover so you can get that in there afterwards to make it sticky and delicious.
5. In a separate pan on a medium heat again, fry of your rosti and an egg so that they’re ready to go in the burger,
6. Once the bun, ham, rosti and eggs are good to go then it’s all about assembly and getting stuck in, add as much or as little sauce to your burger as you like, load on the ham, rosti, fried egg and a pickled chilli or too and thoroughly enjoy.

Sarah Baldwin’s Salsa Verde & Eggs

Sarah Baldwin at her restaurant, joy, with plated Boxing Day leftovers dishes. With Frittata and Scrambled Eggs. Pics Adam Head

Sarah Baldwin, of 10-seater degustation restaurant joy, inspired by her brother-in-law’s sneaky Boxing Day morning antics, crafted this simple but divine breakfast option, made up of her leftover Salsa Verde from Christmas Day.

“I can’t take full creative credit for this one—it actually came about on Boxing Day morning when I stumbled upon my brother-in-law, quietly trying to make his eggs before the rest of the house woke up. His goal? To avoid the inevitable task of preparing poached eggs with buttery toast and green sauce for everyone,” Baldwin said.

INGREDIENTS

• Sarah Baldwin’s Salsa Verde (see recipe here)
• 1 x thick slice of sourdough or Turkish bread toasted (or 1 slice per person)
• 2 eggs (or, 2 eggs per person)
• 2-3 sprigs of dill

Sarah Baldwin at her restaurant, joy, with plated Boxing Day leftovers dishes. With Frittata and Scrambled Eggs. Pics Adam Head

METHOD:

1. Track down the salsa verde you made on Christmas day
2. Drizzle a non-stick fry pan with olive oil and leave to heat up on medium heat.
3. Crack 2 eggs into a clean bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk until a consistent light orange colour.
4. Pop your bread in the toaster
5. In your pre-heated pan, pour the egg mixture and don’t move it.
6. Leave to set for about 45 seconds and then dollop the green sauce into the unset egg on
7. top.
8. Using a spatula pull the egg mixture towards the centre, letting the uncooked egg fill the gap created and repeat until all the egg is cooked.
9. By now your toast will be ready and lathered in butter. Place the toast onto a plate, slide the eggs out of the pan and onto the buttery toast.
10. Garnish with dill and black pepper and find somewhere quiet to eat your eggs before the rest of the house wakes up!

Dayan Hartill-Law’s Boxing Day Toastie

Dayan Hartill-Law, of the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts restaurant Palette, has honed in on the familiar and comfortable with this moreish boxing day leftover toastie.

Don’t let that fool you though, this dish is every bit as delectable as even the most complicated of recipes, including Hartill-Laws own Gochujang Toffee Apple Ham, which works as the perfect Christmas ham to have leftover for this recipe.

“The Boxing Day toastie is religion in my house, and it truly is as grand or beige as your imagination, but with that said mine usually consists of ham, roast pork, mustard, pickles and a smoked cheese,” Hartill-Law said.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of good quality sourdough bread (we use pixel bakery; Brisbane Agnes Bakery is the winner)
• Good quality butter – I use valserena (its obnoxiously indulgent)
• 150g Christmas ham (H thinly sliced (make sure you get the glaze)
• 100g roast pork thinly sliced – I give this a quick whack on the hot plate before I put it in the sandwich
• 2 good slices of pickle – I use McClure’s
• Mustard – I use Pommery cognac mustard (obnoxious) seeded mustard, and a touch of brandy also works
• 100g grated smoked cheddar

Christmas food to accompany recipes. Executive Chef Dayan Hartill-Law from Palette at HOTA , Home Of The Arts on the Gold Coast with his Christmas Ham and Boxing Day Toastie. Picture: Nigel Hallett

METHOD

1. I like to put mustard top and bottom, then place a little smoked cheddar on each to hold the meat, then one side with have the pork, the other will have the ham – ham side gets pickles, then a little more cheese.
2. Then in a pan large enough to hold the bread, put your butter in the pan and get it foaming then place each side bread down and allow to cook for around 30 seconds on the stove top and then place into a 180-degree oven for 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for the bread to be perfectly cooked with nice golden color, the cheese to be melted and the meats to be hot.
3. Once cooked place together and enjoy.

Sarah Baldwin’s Leftover Christmas vegetable frittata

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups leftover Christmas lunch vegetables (this could be made up of things like roasted onion, potato, Brussel sprout, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, carrot)
• 8 eggs
• 150g grated Parmesan (or any other hard cheese)
• 1⁄2 cup finely chopped chives
• 150ml thickened cream
• Salt & Pepper

Sarah Baldwin at her restaurant, joy, with plated Boxing Day leftovers dishes. With Frittata and Scrambled Eggs. Pics Adam Head

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees.
2. Raid the fridge and pull out all of the Christmas lunch left overs. You want to claim the roast veges for this recipe!
3. On a clean chopping board, cut the veges into similar sized pieces. about the size of a 20c piece works well.
4. In a large bowl whisk the 8 eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Whisk until all the egg yolk is broken down and the mixture is a consistent colour. Adding the cream, salt and pepper at the beginning will make this a little easier. Be mindful of your seasoning because it is likely the roasted veges have already had some salt and pepper added.
5. Next you need to finely chop your chives. I choose finely chopped because I love doing them that way, but if you’re working with a relatives not so sharp knives- using scissors and chopping them into 1cm lengths will be absolutely fine also.
6. Line the baking tray of your choice with baking paper- ensuring it goes up the edges slightly too. Egg loves to stick- you will thank me later!
7. First sprinkle in the roasted veges in a consistent layer across the bottom of your baking dish
8. Pour over the egg mixture, ensuring most of the veges are covered.
9. Finally, sprinkle a layer of grated cheese over the top and place the frittata in a middle shelf of the oven.
10. Bake at 160degrees for about 20 minutes and until the top is golden.
11. Leave rest for about 10 minutes before portioning.
12. This will last for 3- 4 days in the fridge. If storing in the fridge, be sure to remove any baking paper so it doesn’t get soggy.
13. I love to serve this with a fresh salad, some roasted pumpkin seeds and Joy’s smoked tomato chutney! If you have leftover Christmas Ham- absolutely dice some of this and add it into the same stage that you add the roasted veges.

Jason Barratt’s Mooloolaba king prawn sandwich with avocado, shredded iceberg, celery & potato crisps

Boxing Day Leftovers: Executive chef Jason Barratt with his Mooloolaba king prawn and avocado sandwich at Supernormal. Picture: Tara Croser.

Ingredients

• 8 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 2 avocado
• 400g king prawn mix (see recipe below)
• 1⁄2 iceberg lettuce, sliced 1cm thick
• 40g celery, thinly sliced

Prawn mix

• 400g cooked King prawns, peeled, deveined & roughly chopped
• 80g Kewpie mayonnaise
• 30g dill, finely chopped
• 20g parsley, finely chopped
• 20g chives, finely sliced
• Juice and zest of 1⁄2 lemon
• Salt & white pepper for seasoning

To serve

• Your favourite best quality potato chips

Boxing Day Leftovers: Executive chef Jason Barratt with his Mooloolaba king prawn and avocado sandwich at Supernormal. Picture: Tara Croser.

Method

1. To make the prawn mix, place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and gently stir to combine.
2. To assemble, lay 4 x slices of bread on a chopping board. Peel, deseed and thinly slice the avocado and divide between the slices of bread. Next, evenly place the prawn mix
3. on top of the avocado, followed by the celery and the lettuce.
4. Top with the remaining slices of bread.
5. Cut down the centre and serve with some good quality potato crisps on the side.

Kyle McNamara’s Leftover cheesecake

Ingredients:

Baked Cheesecake base

• 250g Leftover soft cheese (brie, camembert)
• 3 eggs
• 85g white chock
• 85g raw sugar
• 70mls thickened cream

Citrus and ginger syrup

• 80g raw sugar
• 40g lemon juice
• 40ml water
• 20g raw grated ginger

Shaved soured pineapple

• 120g shaved or diced pineapple
• 5g Brown sugar
• 2g Citric acid
• Salt to taste

Brandy cream

• 200ml Thickened cream
• 30g icing sugar, sifted
• 20ml brandy or to taste, you can make it as boozy as you like with Brandy
• Salt to taste

Chef Kyle McNamara with dishes plated for Boxing Day leftovers recipes at The Velveteen Rabbit in Caxton St. Friday December 20, 2024. Picture, John Gass

Method

Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees, grease and line a moderately sized high lipped baking tray.
2. Over a double boiler or in a small pot on a very low heat add your chocolate, cream and dissolve stirring constantly until smooth.
3. In a food processor cut your leftover cheese up into small chunks add that to your bowl with the sugar and blend till smooth, once the cheese is smooth in consistency, keeping the food processor on, crack the eggs in a separate bowl and gradually add one at a time till they’re incorporated and emulsified.
4. Once the cheese mix is smooth and the chocolate is dissolved, add the chocolate and cream mix into the food processor and pulse till combined. Season to taste and then place into your baking tray and bake at 160 degrease for 25 minutes or until set and not liquid in the center.

Citrus and ginger syrup

1. Combine all ingredients except ginger in a small pot over a medium heat, bring to a simmer and then turn off immediately as you don’t want to reduce the syrup and set aside. Once the syrup has cooled slightly, add the ginger and stir it in to keep the freshness. Set aside ready to serve

Brandy Cream

1. Combine cream, brandy, salt and sifted icing sugar in a kitchen aid or stand-up mixer where you can whip cream into a Chantilly style cream, whip to whatever consistency you desire. Set aside in fridge ready to assemble.

Shaved soured pineapple

1. Skin the pineapple, with a meat slicer, mandolin or very sharp knife shave pineapple very thinly until you have really nice ribbons to work with.
2. Once all the pineapple is shaved, place it into a mixing bowl and add the seasonings, brown sugar, salt and citric acid to taste. Gently massage these into the pineapple ribbons
3. and set aside to assemble.
4. Assembly, cut out the desired shape and size of the cheesecake you’re after, place on a plate or bowl drizzle with the citrus ginger syrup and layer some of the soured pineapple ribbons on top I quite like having lots of the pineapple as its refreshing and lightens the dish, serve with a generous amount of brandy cream dolloped on the side enjoy!

Adriano Zumbo’s Fairy Bread Tart

Note: Makes 5x tarts (size of tart tins: 10cm) OR 1 large tart (in a pie tin)

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 150g shortbread biscuits
• 75g white bread
• 30g sugar or sweetener of choice
• Pinch of salt
• 110g unsalted butter, room temperature

For the Filling:

• 30g Wicked Sister High Protein Banana Pudding
• 200g Wicked Sister High Protein Vanilla Pudding
• 55g softened butter, room temperature
• 7g honey
• 7g vanilla extract

For Topping:

• Hundreds & thousands (sprinkles), to cover

Method:

1. In a food processor, blend 150g of shortbread biscuit, 75g of white bread, 30g sugar or sweetener of choice and a pinch of salt into a crumb texture.
2. Melt 110g of unsalted butter in the microwave. Add the butter into the crumb mixture and mix/blend in the food processor until it’s combined.
3. Press the crumb tart mixture into the tart tins. This makes 5 x 10cm individual tarts at 70g each, or use the entire mix for a large family size tart or pie tin.
4. Place in the freezer to chill for about 20-30 minutes.
5. Fill the tart shells with 30g of Wicked Sister High Protein Banana Pudding to cover base and smooth evenly. Place back into the fridge and chill.
6. In a bowl, place 200g of Wicked Sister High Protein Vanilla Pudding and add in 55g of softened butter at room temperature, 7g of honey, 7g of vanilla extract, and use a whisk to mix everything together, transforming the mixture into a smooth creamy texture.
7. Weigh around 40g of this pudding mix into the tart shells and smooth off the top of the tarts.
8. Place the tarts in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, then sprinkle over the hundreds & thousands.
9. When firm enough, demould the tarts out of tins and serve or store in the fridge until needed.

Isaac Ohsberg’s Ladyfinger Trifle cocktail

INGREDIENTS
40ml Ladyfinger infused gin

40ml berry cream

15ml stewed apple syrup.

Ladyfinger gin

250ml gin of choice

one ladyfinger biscuit

Berry Cream

Leftover berries

Water (equal to amount of fruit)

500ml cream

Apple syrup

Leftover apples

Water (equal to amount of fruit)

METHOD

Ladyfinger gin

1. For every 250 mL of gin, crush one Ladyfinger biscuit and let it rest inside the gin. Make sure to leave it at room temperature, as it will incorporate faster than in a fridge.
2. Once done, filter through a coffee/oil filter or cheesecloth keeping the remnants of the Ladyfinger’s (we’ll use those for later).

Berry cream

1. In a pot you’ll want to bring to the boil equal parts volume by weight of leftover fruit and water.
2. Once boiling, set to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Fine strain out any of the fruits and keep them to the side. You’ll be left with a liquid, add equal parts volume by weight of sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Then with this liquid, for every 500mL of cream, add 100ml of berry syrup and combine in a blender for approximately 10 seconds, or until desired thickness.

Stewed apple syrup

1. In a pot you’ll want to bring to the boil equal parts volume by weight of leftover fruit and water.
2. Once boiling, set to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Fine strain out any of the fruits and keep them to the side. You’ll be left with a liquid, add equal parts volume by weight of sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Assembly

1. Now, in a small shot glass, place some of the leftover crushed ladyfingers, and some of your berry cream on top to fill. Place some of the leftover fruit on top, and there we have our garnish.
2. In a Boston shaker, put 40mL Ladyfinger infused gin, 40mL berry cream and 15 mL stewed apple syrup. Shake hard for approximately 10 seconds, then fine strain into a Coupe glass.