Open Faced Turkey Salad, Tomato and Gouda Melts

I started thinking the other day….why don’t you hear of turkey salad? Like chicken salad – but with turkey.

You see tuna salad.

Egg salad.

Macaroni salad.

Why not turkey? With all the leftover turkey every Thanksgiving, you would think that would be a given.

I obviously decided to make some, but I have to say I was kind of gun shy about it given the lack of turkey salad popularity out there. Is there a reason it’s not a widespread leftover turkey thing?

Well, the answer is no.

As a matter of fact, my husband ate a turkey salad sandwich for dinner that night and then wanted one for breakfast the next morning. See what happens when we step out of the proverbial foodie box??

Magic, I tell you.

Magic.

Open Faced Turkey Salad, Tomato and Gouda Melts

Turkey Salad

2 cups chopped leftover turkey

1 1/4 cups mayo (give or take – you can make this as mayonnaise-y as you want)

1/2 cup diced dill pickle chips

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

3 strips bacon, crumbled

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

1/3 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp dried tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

Melts

5 yeast rolls, halved (I used frozen Sister Schubert’s rolls)

10 smoked Gouda cheese, sliced small enough to fit yeast rolls

2 on-the-vine tomatoes, sliced

Handful of fresh flat Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients for the turkey salad in a mixing bowl; refrigerate. If using frozen yeast rolls, preheat oven to 350° and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and split in half.

Turn broiler on low.

Spoon equal amounts of turkey salad on each half, followed by tomato slices, then Gouda. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Eat!

Kisses-

~Dixie Chik~