Tired of turkey sandwiches and eating the same thing for the fourth day in a row? Yeah, me too. I thought about freezing the rest of our Thanksgiving leftovers, but I challenged myself to use a few of my favorites in some nontraditional ways this year.

Air Fried Mashed Potato Bites

I think I could eat mashed potatoes as they are for the rest of eternity and be okay with it – especially if there is gravy on the scene. GOD I love gravy. I made three types of gravy on Thanksgiving this year.

Mashed potatoes, however, have so much potential to be repurposed in fun and exciting ways. That’s why I couldn’t wait to take them to the air fryer.

I wanted to keep these bites simple, so I used leftover mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar, and dried chives on the inside. The breading was a mix of panko breadcrumbs, dried thyme, dried sage, salt, and pepper. Those spices created a delicious fall flavor, but you can season the breadcrumbs however you like. Cooking these bites in the air fryer ensured they were lighter and healthier than pan or deep frying – I didn’t use a drop of oil in this recipe (though a quick oil mist would crisp these up even more).

How many mashed potato bites you can make at once depends on the size of your air fryer. When you air fry something, you must do so in a single layer and avoid having the items in the basket touch each other. This ensures a uniform air flow, making your food nice and crispy all around. To double the amount of space you have in the basket, you can always use a layered rack so that your food stays spaced out. If you don’t have enough room for everything at once, simply cook in batches.

Make sure your mashed potatoes are cold when you are assembling everything. This will help them keep their shape.

Step 1: Mix the following in a medium bowl: 1 cup cold leftover mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1 teaspoon dried chives (double everything if you want more).

Step 2: Roll mashed potato mixture into small balls. The size is up to you – but I found that rounded tablespoons worked very well.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, beat one egg with one tablespoon milk. In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with dried thyme, dried sage, sea salt, and pepper to taste. (You can season however you want here – love garlic? Definitely go for garlic powder. Want a kick? Go for paprika or chili powder).

Step 4: Dip each mashed potato ball in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off excess breadcrumb mixture and place into air fryer basket.

Step 5: Air fry a single layer of potato bites at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Depending on how large your small your bites are, you may need more or less time – so I would check around 5 minutes and again at 10 minutes, and possibly add more time if they aren’t golden and crispy yet.

You need a spatula and gentle hand to scoop these delicate angels out of the air fryer basket. Next time I make these, I may line my basket with parchment paper first for easier clean up.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls

My mother-in-law’s spoon bread sweet potato pudding is out-of-this world. It’s perfectly creamy and so sweet that you could almost consider it a dessert. This is typically what I overindulge in on Thanksgiving night, ending up face down on the couch.

I often make sweet potatoes for breakfast; usually I incorporate them into a hash, or I will roast them in the air fryer. But this sweet potato pudding is so different texturally (smooth, almost runny) and almost as sweet as candy. What can I do with this except shovel it in my mouth all by itself?

Make a breakfast bowl! Whatever sweet potato side dish your loved ones enjoy on Thanksgiving can probably make a great sidekick to some oats or granola. Think about it – oats are always calling out for something sweet (I love mine with some honey, maple syrup, or chocolate chips). Throw in some fruit, nuts, and seeds, and you have yourself a breakfast party in a bowl.

The breakfast bowl you see here includes:

• 1/2 cups of quick oats
• A few spoonfuls of spoon bread pudding
• A handful of frozen blueberries
• A sprinkle of chia seeds and sunflower seeds

The best thing about breakfast bowls is that you can personalize them however you want. I think this would be delicious with plain Greek yogurt instead of oats. Next time I make this, I’m going to toss in some pomegranate seeds.

Not pictured: Me licking the bowl clean.

Turkey & Veggie Omelet

I squeezed 4 different leftovers in this omelet, and it was one of the best I have ever made. I had Thanksgiving in every bite!

As I surveyed the available Turkey Day leftovers before making this, I noticed I had some unused raw mushrooms. I sautéed them in a little white cooking wine with dried sage and thyme for about 5 minutes on medium heat. They were delightfully flavorful and ready to be paired with the rest of the leftovers. I set the mushrooms aside and cooked the omelet in the same small frying pan to soak up the rest of that flavor.

This two-egg omelette was stuffed with turkey, chopped green beans, sautéed mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. Yup, I put mashed potatoes in my omelet, and boy am I glad I did. Those little dollops were part of the best bites of the meal. I almost forgot to mention the blanket of cheese that went on top of all of those fillings. I didn’t think gravy would be a good fit in this omelet, but wanted to make sure there was still plenty of flavor. A heavy sprinkle of shredded cheddar got the job done.

I think the key to a great omelet is slow and steady cooking. I never turn the heat above medium. I fold it in half when the eggs start to set, and flip it in the frying pan every minute or so until both sides are perfectly browned.

The sky is the limit with Thanksgiving leftovers! Don’t stop here – try your leftovers in a quesadilla, soup, or on top of nachos. I would love to hear about any of your Thanksgiving remixes in the comments!