Viral TikTok recipe for air fryer Thanksgiving leftover egg rolls is predictably delicious — and easy

I’m firmly within the camp that leftovers from Thanksgiving vastly outpace the standard of the meals on the precise vacation. One thing magical and mysterious occurs within the fridge: The parts within the stuffing marry extra totally, the mashed potatoes thicken, the gravy congeals and intensifies in taste, and the turkey…nicely the turkey remains to be turkey however you get my level.

This 12 months I cooked a full Thanksgiving meal for simply two individuals, which meant I had practically countless leftovers to make use of nonetheless I happy: breakfast hash, bowls of leftovers slathered in gravy, wonderful sandwiches.

Final 12 months I made leftover egg rolls, deep fried, heavenly, stuffed to the brim with stuffing, turkey, and mashed potatoes, dipped in a cranberry aioli. Take a look at these large honkers; they had been improbable.

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So, once I noticed Kroger — you recognize, the grocery store chain — post a recipe for air-fried leftover egg rolls, I used to be tremendous intrigued. So had been a number of of us it appears as a result of the TikTok has racked up 2.3 million views. If I may get an identical consequence with out the trouble of deep frying, it will be wonderful. Kroger’s closing consequence did not look fairly like a deep fried egg roll — extra on that later — but it surely did look tasty.

Not too unhealthy wanting.
Credit score: Screenshots: TikTok / @Kroger

The recipe is wildly easy. Here is what Kroger urged, though later I will present the place and the way I modified issues.

Components

• Egg roll wrappers

• Leftover turkey

• Leftover stuffing

• Leftover gravy, reheated for dipping

• Small cup of water for sealing the egg roll

Instructions

1. Chop leftover turkey into small items.

2. In a big bowl, combine the chopped turkey with leftover stuffing. The combination ought to be roughly 50/50.

3. Set down an egg roll wrapper in entrance of you so it is diamond formed.

4. Drop a big dollop of the turkey and stuffing combination into the middle of the wrapper.

5. Pinch the combination collectively, then rigorously fold the underside of the diamond over the combination. Roll till the combo is completely lined.

6. Such as you’re wrapping a present, fold the outsides of the wrapper on high of the already rolled half. Roll till all that continues to be is a small triangle of wrapped that appears like the highest of an envelope.

7. Dip a finger within the water and paint the sides of the triangle. Press it onto the rolled egg roll, sealing all of it collectively.

8. Air fry the egg rolls at 370 levels for eight minutes, putting the envelope-side down on the air fryer grate.

9. After eights minutes, flip then air fry for 3 minutes extra. Dip in gravy and luxuriate in.

The small print

The elements on this recipe are deceptively easy. I say deceptively since you would’ve needed to have made a complete ass turkey and a batch stuffing. However in the event you’re out of leftovers, or they’ve gone unhealthy, or no matter, guess what? I wrote how one can air fry turkey and stuffing, as a result of Mashable’s AirFryDay is nothing if not thorough, child.

Now, getting egg roll wrappers may additionally show type of troublesome. Your greatest wager goes to be within the freezer part in a well-stocked grocery retailer. (One assumes Kroger carries them since, you recognize, they posted this recipe.) My two native groceries in Brooklyn did not have them, nonetheless. A observe: Do not purchase spring roll wrappers, that are a rice paper wrappers you dip in water. These are totally different than egg roll wrappers. Finally I used to be capable of get egg roll wrappers from an area Asian market. They got here frozen however defrosted in like 15 seconds within the microwave. If all else fails you possibly can all the time try to make your own.

When making this dish, like every other dish, the very first thing it’s best to do is your mise en place, which is a elaborate French means of claiming getting prepped. Chop the turkey, combine it with stuffing, defrost your wrappers. The wrappers ought to really feel malleable whereas not heated by in any respect.

Two issues about me: I hate following recipes completely and I like mashed potatoes. So I made a decision my check of the air fryer recipe would come with one egg roll precisely how Kroger did it and one the place I added a plop of mashed potato.

Essentially the most troublesome a part of the method on this recipe is the folding and rolling of the egg roll itself. It isn’t arduous, actually, it is simply delicate. The actual danger is tearing a seam in your wrapper, which I undoubtedly did as soon as however is not going to seem on Mashable dot com’s video by way of the magic of modifying.

There are a couple of methods to bear in mind when rolling. First, once you plop down your filling, do not go too loopy. Much less filling makes for a extra orderly egg roll. But additionally… do not skimp as a result of why skimp? I did one egg roll with the Kroger turkey/stuffing filling and one other the place I unfold a stripe of mashed potatoes atop all of it.

The filling earlier than being rolled.
Credit score: Mashable

Subsequent, once you’re able to fold and roll, type of cup the filling along with your palms to maintain it in a neat form and in place. As you fold the underside of the diamond over the filling and start to roll, the cupping of your palms will type a pleasant cylindrical-shaped filling.

The cupping of the egg roll in motion.
Credit score: Mashable

You’ll be able to seal the sides with water once you fold the edges — you needn’t — however simply you should definitely paint the envelope-shaped finish of the wrapper with water then seal. Then do not fuss with it. If it is imperfect, lumpy, tenuously sealed, no matter, simply depart it’s. You may simply mess issues up additional by making an attempt to make it good and the warmth might be what actually seals all of it collectively.

Full disclosure: I examined this recipe within the Mashable workplace for filming functions and used the workplace’s air fryer, which was an older mannequin than my at-home unit. For some motive, it will let me air fry at 360 levels or 390 levels, however not 370 levels. I selected 360 levels, which meant my egg rolls took nearer to 12 to 14 minutes to totally prepare dinner moderately than 11. Here is what they appeared like once I flipped after about 8 minutes.

Not fairly accomplished but.
Credit score: Mashable

And this is what the egg rolls appeared like full cooked.

They do not appear to be conventional egg rolls, however they don’t seem to be unhealthy.
Credit score: Mashable

The one on the suitable has mashed potatoes in it, the left doesn’t.
Credit score: Mashable

The decision? They’re tasty. The pores and skin of the egg roll finally ends up taking a extra flaky, crisp texture, not precisely the bubbly, ethereal consequence you get from frying in oil. If frying in oil creates a ten out of 10 texture, then air frying, I would say, is a couple of seven. It is crunchy, it is good, but it surely’s inferior to frying in oil. Sure, it’s extra unhealthy, however frying it oil is freaking scrumptious.

I would additionally argue it’s best to embody mashed potatoes in the event you’re ready. Reheated stuffing plus reheated turkey generally is a bit dry — whereas nonetheless good — even in the event you’re dipping in gravy. Including mashed potatoes, which after all are laden with butter and milk — provides some a lot want moisture and a welcome pop of salty fattiness. Nonetheless, did I eat all of each egg rolls for lunch? You are rattling proper I did.

All that being stated, my spouse was a bit unhappy she missed out on Thanksgiving leftover egg rolls. The following day I made a pair at residence for the 2 of us to take pleasure in. I rolled up some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and charred Brussels sprout leaves then fried the egg rolls in about an inch of canola oil. Merely put, they had been significantly better than my air fried providing. Discover how the pores and skin is bubbly and ethereal, and there are distinct layers of puffy, crisp wrapper? You simply do not get that within the air fryer.

That is simply higher. It merely is.
Credit score: Mashable

Nonetheless, air frying Thanksgiving leftover egg rolls works and is tremendous tasty. And whereas it is inferior to its oil-fried counterpart, air frying additionally did not depart me with a large number on the counter and a bunch of oil to toss out.