Once you have 2 cups of leftover turkey and 1 cup leftover stuffing finely chopped, mix them thoroughly with 2 cups of mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour and create a blonde roux. After a roux is formed, slowly pour in a ½ cup of milk while stirring to turn the roux into a bechamel. This bechamel will be much thicker than the normal version.
After the thick bechamel comes together, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Now fold it into the mashed potato mix until fully combined. Place the mixture, uncovered, into the refrigerator to cool and thicken, at least 1-3 hours.
Preheat your oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once fully chilled, remove the croquette filling from the fridge. Create a 3-stage dredging station with 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 large eggs, and 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Lightly season each stage with a pinch of salt and pepper. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the filling and roll into a ball. Roll the filling through the flour, then the egg, and then roll and press into the panko. Place the prepared croquettes onto the baking sheet until full.
If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can make the croquettes by hand. Roll into balls slightly smaller than golf ball size.
Set the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the outside is browned and the filling is fully warmed. You will probably need to bake them in 2-3 batches.
Once you remove the croquettes from the oven, sprinkle with a bit of salt and garnish with some finely chopped parsley if you wish. Allow them to finish cooking and setting for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then serve warm with some heated leftover gravy and leftover cranberry sauce.
1) Turkey – Use any leftover turkey you have, and white meat, dark meat, or any combination is fine. For reference, I used leftovers from my Cajun roasted turkey here. You can chop it very finely like I did here or toss it into a food processor and pulse until it’s small pieces.2) Mashed Potatoes – Almost any leftover mashed potatoes will work here. Just keep in mind the more strongly flavored they are, the more that flavor will come through in the final dish. Two cups are a lot of leftovers, and if you don’t have that much, or any, that’s fine. You can make a quick batch if you still have potatoes, or honestly, just make some instant mash from those boxes or packets.3) Stuffing – This is optional, but you have some leftover stuffing, throw some in with the turkey and mashed potatoes. Chop it up small like the turkey. I used some from my sausage and sage stuffing recipe here. Avoid rice dressings.4) Frying – The recipe is written to be baked as it is a bit healthier than deep-frying, and a bit easier to do for the average home cook. However, if you wish to deep-fry or air-fry, I made directions for both options in the post above in the Variations section.5) Servings – As written, this recipe makes a ton of croquettes to use up a good number of leftovers. If you don’t have that many or would rather make a smaller amount for 1-3 people, cut the recipes in half.6) Nutritional Info – The nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate. Depending on the leftover ingredients you use, the values may vary quite a bit.