Thanksgiving Leftovers Christmas Tree

Directions

• Measure out all of the leftovers and set them on your work surface. Finely chop the turkey and the stuffing. Leftovers should be added to the puff pastry cold and will heat in the oven while the tree bakes.
• Unroll one sheet of puff pastry. I use Jus-Rol brand because it doesn’t need to thaw and the size works well for the Christmas tree shape.
• Cut a triangle out of parchment paper to use as a stencil. If your puff pastry has the same measurements as mine (10 inches x 15 inches), then the triangle should be 10 inches across the bottom, 11 inches tall, and the two long sides should be 12 inches long.
• Using a sharp knife, cut along the two long sides of the triangle and then remove the parchment paper stencil.
• Starting at the top of the triangle, cut strips out of the puff pastry on the outside of the triangle. Cut from the outer edge of the triangle, out to the edge of the puff pastry, on both sides. The strips should be about 1 inch thick.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, set a rack in the center, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread mashed potatoes onto the triangle in a thin, even layer, going all the way to the edges.
• Add the finely chopped stuffing.
• Spread the turkey in an even layer over the stuffing.
• Add a little bit of gravy.
• Spoon on the cranberry sauce.
• The next step is to add the strips to the tree. Starting with the top right strip, twist it twice and place it on the left side of the tree at the bottom. Repeat the process with the top left strip by twisting it twice and adding it to the right side of the tree at the bottom. Repeat this process until you get to the top of the tree.
• Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut a star for the tree topper and then cut a rectangle to use as the tree trunk from the remaining large scrap of puff pastry. If you’d like to cut out any other small shapes with the rest of the puff pastry scraps, do that now. I cut out a few small snowflakes. Seal the outer edges of the tree using a fork to crimp the edges together.
• Lightly brush the puff pastry with egg wash.
• Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh rosemary and flaky sea salt.
• Transfer to the baking sheet.
• Bake until golden brown, about 21 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven at around 14 to 15 minutes because the small shapes (if you cut them out) will likely be fully browned and the star on top and the trunk at the bottom will also be browning quickly. I removed the small snowflakes at around 15 minutes and covered the star and the trunk with small pieces of tinfoil to prevent them from over-browning.
• Serve warm and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.