Creamy Turkey Hotpot

This is a really delicious and crowd pleasing comfort dinner which is suitable for any family, friends and stragglers still hanging around during twixtmas.

What is Turkey Hotpot?

If Hotpot isn’t part of your lexicon it’s key feature is the ‘lid’ of layered potatoes baked on top of your saucey filling. You create the filling on the stovetop first, in this case gorgeously creamy turkey flavoured with aromatic vegetables, garlic and herbs. Assemble the filling in an ovenproof dish and layer the potatoes over the top. The bottom layer will almost melt into the filling whilst the buttery top layer crisps up beautifully.

You can even make the turkey filling in advance, stash in the freezer for quick and easy January weeknight dinners. We’ll go through the best ingredients to make this a top notch dinner along with all the make-ahead and freezing tips suitable from a food safety point of view.

Ingredients Needed

Leftover turkey. You could also use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Chop into larger bite-sized pieces so they don’t disintegrate into the sauce as you are stirring it in. I have also been known to cook off diced turkey breast especially to make this when it’s not leftover season. It’s that good.

Potatoes. Choose floury potatoes like Maris Pipers or King Edwards as they will absorb the stock really well so the bottom layer almost melts into the turkey filling but then crisps up beautifully on the top layer.

Vegetables. We are using a white onion, fennel, leek and celery to kick of the proceedings. They all add lovely aromatic flavour, if you don’t have one of them then don’t worry you can just omit. But try to only omit one of them.

Garlic. You can use crushed fresh garlic or a teaspoon of lazy garlic.

Fresh herbs. Thyme and bay leaves add great depth of flavour here. Fresh will always be a superior choice if you can.

Cassava flour. I make gluten-free food for my family and cassava flour works brilliantly here to thicken the sauce. You can swap for sweet rice flour (not regular rice flour) or even all-purpose flour if gluten-free is not a requirement for you.

Stock. My best tip for this dish is to use fresh stock. The difference it makes in flavour and texture is astounding. Chicken or turkey stock is perfect and it's easy to make your own stock with leftover bones.

Crème fraiche. I love using crème fraiche for making creamy sauces as it isn’t as cloying as double cream and adds a little more depth of flavour. If you need your dinner to be dairy-free then you can swap for a plant-based creme fraiche. These aren't so easy to get hold of so you can also use The Coconut Collab's Double Cre&m.

Butter. We use butter in the sauce and also dotted in between the potato layers for crispness and flavour. Use unsalted butter as then you can control the salt content. If you are using salted butter then you won’t need to use extra salt in between the potato layers. If you need your dinner to be dairy-free then you only need to use olive oil.

Olive oil. We use olive oil alongside the butter to kick off proceedings to temper the temperature of the butter so it doesn’t burn.

Seasoning. I use kosher salt in all my cooking and baking as it’s a softly flavoured salt. If you are using sea salt then reduce the amount a little and season to taste. We use ground white pepper as the sauce is white so it’s just for aesthetics, you can use black pepper.

How To Make Turkey Hotpot

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, leek and celery and cook for 10-15 minutes on a medium-low heat until soft and just starting to catch.

Add the turkey meat, garlic, herbs and ½ teaspoon of the salt and pepper and gently stir to mix.

Sprinkle the flour over then mix to make sure all the fat has been absorbed.

Slowly pour in the stock, using a spoon to stir in, so the sauce is created and thickens slowly.

When all the stock has been added and the sauce is thick, smooth and just starting to bubble then stir in the crème fraiche until it melts evenly into the sauce.

Remove from heat and pour the turkey filling into a large ovenproof dish.

Peel and slice the potatoes thinly. Then layer over the turkey, dotting in the extra butter and salt between each layer and over the final layer.

There should be about 3 layers of potatoes. Bake for 85-90 minutes until crisp and golden.

Make In Advance (including safety and freezing guidelines)

Potatoes. You can prepare the cut potatoes in advance by peeling and cutting the potatoes and submerging in a large bowl of cold water and storing in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Make sure the pat the potato slices dry before layering onto your filling.

Filling. If you are using leftover turkey then it is not advised to make the turkey filling in advance (which requires re-heating it) and then assembling the whole hotpot at a later time. This is because the turkey will be re-heated twice. The Food Standards Agency recommends only re-heating poultry once to adhere to food safety practices.

However, you can get around this by making the filling without the turkey, cooling it and then stirring in the turkey once it is cold to finish. You can either keep the filling chilled in the refrigerator in an airtight container and make up the hotpot within 48 hours. Or you can freeze the filling (see below).

Re-heating

The turkey should only be re-heated once. So if you are making the hotpot recipe in full using leftover turkey it is not recommended to re-heat the hotpot.

If you made the hotpot using fresh turkey then you can re-heat in the oven at 190°C / 170°C fan assisted / gas mark 5 / 375°F for 25 minutes in an ovenproof dish until piping hot.

You could re-heat in the microwave but the potatoes will lose their crispness. Use a microwaveable container and heat for 5 minutes (700W) in individual portions.

Freezing

If you are using leftover turkey then it is not recommended to make up the whole of this recipe and then freeze this hotpot as they turkey will be re-heated more than once.

You can make up the filling without the turkey as detailed above and stirring the turkey in once cold. Then you can freeze the filling in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then finish making the hotpot with the layered potatoes as per the recipe.

If you made the hotpot using fresh turkey then you can freeze the leftovers for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight and re-heat as above.

More Leftover Turkey Recipes You’ll Love

The Best Totally Creamy Turkey Curry is deliciously creamy with coconut milk and double cream, punchy with spices, garlic, chilli and ginger and is gorgeously relaxing to make. 

Christmas leftovers are transformed into creamy Lemon Parmesan Turkey Risotto. This easy recipe combines zesty lemon, garlic, vermouth and plenty of parmesan to create a comforting one-pot dinner.

Herby Leftover Turkey Salad with Crunchy Fridge Raid Veg is a light and fresh way to use leftovers. Diced roasted turkey is dressed in a sharp dill and gherkin yoghurt dressing and served with a bright crunchy salad. Accompany it with whatever vegetables need using up in the fridge.