Lovely Christmas leftovers... there’s no need for waste

Fried Christmas Pudding and Bacon Pictures: Kate Ryan
WHAT’S better than Christmas dinner? Leftovers, of course! It’s the only time when I am happy to buy more than I need and cook more than could ever be eaten, but only because I’ve already thought about what I want to do with all those lovely leftovers.

- Chop the potatoes into roughly 1 cm cubes. Place into a bowl.
- Trim and finely slice the scallions and celery. Add to the potatoes.
- Begin adding the salad cream a tablespoon at a time, mixing until you get a good consistency.
- Everything should be well covered, but not swimming in salad cream.
- Add in 2 tsp of smoked paprika, 1 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix everything until well combined.


- Cut two circles into the puff pastry, at least 10cm in diameter. Place onto a lined baking tray, prick with a fork, and set aside. Pre heat the oven to the packet instructions for the pastry.
- Use a knife to cut up the veggies and meats into pieces roughly the same size, 1cm cubes. Place into a bowl.
- In a small bowl, add mustard and a tablespoon of the gravy, stir to combine. If you think you need more gravy to gently coat the veg and meat mix, add a little more.
- Combine the meat and veg mix with the gravy mix, stir until everything is lightly coated with gravy.
- Spoon the mixture onto one half of the pastry rounds, staying about a centimetre away from the edge.
- Whisk the egg in a cup and egg wash all around the outer edge of the pastry. Fold the pastry over and press down to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Repeat with all the other pasties, give each an egg wash all over, then place in the oven to bake until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.
- Serve hot out the oven with some pickles on the side.
- Place the rashers on a lined baking sheet, place them in a cold oven, turn the oven on to 190 degrees Celsius and roast the bacon until crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
- When cooked, take the bacon out of the oven and place on kitchen towel to soak up any excess fat and keep the bacon crispy.
- Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add a knob of butter and melt. Add in the crumbled Christmas pudding and fry until it begins to turn crispy on the outside. Turn out onto kitchen towel when done.
- Plate the pudding and bacon and serve with warm apple sauce and crusty bread.

Panettone French Toast with Cranberries and Mandarin
- Put cranberries in a saucepan with a small amount of juice from the mandarins. Place over a low heat and cook until the cranberries start to pop and soften (about 3-5 minutes). Take off the heat, set aside, add some mandarin segments. Reserve the rest of the juice for later.
- Pour cream in a bowl and whip to a soft peak. Add a teaspoon of mandarin juice and whip again to a soft peak. Set aside.
- Take two bowls large enough to fit a slice of panettone. In one bowl, combine the cinnamon and icing; egg and vanilla bean paste in the other.
- Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a large knob of butter.
- Take a slice of panettone, coat each side in the sugar and cinnamon mix first, then dunk in the egg and vanilla mix. Place in the hot frying pan and cook until golden on both sides. Repeat with each slice of panettone.
- Place the panettone on a plate, scatter about with the cranberry and mandarin fruit mix, and top with whipped cream.