Crisp, fruit-forward wines complement the play of flavors in a leftover turkey hash.
THE FOOD
THE AFTER HASH
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet; add 1 small red onion, chopped, and 1/2 cup each diced carrot and celery. Season with salt. Cook until vegetables soften, 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups cubed leftover turkey, 2 cups cubed leftover sweet potatoes and 1 cup cut-up green vegetables; cook until warmed through. Add a little turkey broth to moisten the hash, if needed. Taste for seasonings. Meanwhile, fry 3-4 eggs with 1 tablespoon butter in another skillet as you like. Serve the hash with a fried egg atop each serving and sprinkled with chopped parsley and olives. Makes: 3-4 servings
Recipe by Joe Gray
THE WINES
Pairings by sommelier Michael Muser of Grace restaurant in Chicago, as told to Michael Austin:
2013 Jean-Paul BrunTerres Dorees L’Ancien Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes, Beaujolais, France: Beaujolais and gamay are go-to turkey wines because they’re soft and fruit-forward, with strawberry and sweet cranberry notes. Whether you’re having cranberries or not, these notes will help sweeten a meat that often lacks flavor. The wine will also do well with the green vegetables in the dish because it’s not overly tannic or muscular. Beaujolais is delicate and flexible, and that’s important in a wine served with a hash. $18
2014 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Scheurebe Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany: The grape, scheurebe, is hard to spell and to say, but this wine is delicious, and deserves its moment. It is off-dry, which can scare people, but the residual sugar is what makes it pair so well with this dish. Sweet potatoes and sweet, cooked onions need a little sweetness to back them up. Turkey, as we all know, gets dry, and the viscosity and texture of this wine will help moisten the palate.
2007 Ferrari Perle, Trento, Italy: What is a holiday without bubbles? This is a beautiful sparkling wine from northern Italy, made of 100 percent chardonnay from a single vineyard called Perle. This bubbly is big, rich and creamy, with aromatic notes of brioche, toast and croissant crust, all of it enveloped in searing acidity. It is well structured and thus, will bring balance to the pairing, refreshing the palate between bites of the dish’s melange of ingredients. $35
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