Kentucky Hot Browns are perfect for leftover turkey, but they’re so good, you don’t have to wait for the holidays. Turkey on a roll or toast, covered with a cheesy béchamel sauce, don’t forget the bacon!
Did you know that today is National Poultry Day. It seems that everything has a “day” now. As much poultry as we eat, I think it deserves it’s own day. Normally I would share a chicken recipe but I thought I would mix it up a bit and share one of our family favorite dishes made with turkey. It’s tradition in our house that we have Hot Browns with left over turkey, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I forget about fixing this at other times of the year. However, it’s almost as good using turkey sliced from the deli with toasted French bread. After a holiday meal, I’ll use whatever bread is left over, rolls or biscuits or just plain toast will all work great. If there are no left overs, French Bread is a great choice.
A Hot Brown consists of any type of toasted bread covered with turkey and smothered in cheese sauce. Top with a little bacon and a tomato slice for an amazing dish. You can make this as cheesy as you like but we prefer just a little cheese added to a wonderful creamy béchamel sauce. Throw a little bacon on top and you have a Hot Brown made famous at The Brown Hotel in Louisville.
The girls were both home for Spring break last week and this was the perfect comfort food to serve. I made it in individual baking dishes so that everyone could adjust theirs the way they liked.
Kentucky Hot Brown
Kentucky Hot Browns are perfect for leftover turkey, but they’re so good, you don’t have to wait for the holidays. Turkey on a roll or toast, covered with a cheesy béchamel sauce, don’t forget the bacon!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups cream/milk
- ½ cups pecorino romano cheese
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 4 thick slices French bread, or biscuit sliced in half
- 4–8 thick slices turkey
- 8 slices bacon, cooked
Instructions
- Preheat broiler
- Place thick sliced French bread on a baking pan under broiler and toast. Remove and place in individual baking dishes.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Warm cream/milk in the microwave and add it slowly to the flour mixture whisking for 2-3 minutes until it just comes to a simmer. It should not be too thick. Whisk in 1/4 cup cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
- Add turkey slices to the top of the toasted bread. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place under broiler and cook until it is bubbly and lightly brown. Remove and top with cooked bacon and tomatoes if desired.
Notes
You can use any bread you have on hand, rolls, biscuits, or toast.
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