I thought I knew a little bit about life. Until I learned about this.

Thanks to Liz, A., who earned top honors in our Ziploc Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich Giveaway, I now know the beauty that is the Thanksgiving Shooter Sandwich. I have never had so much fun making a meal. I was full-on dancing around in the kitchen, high fiving people who were not even there, and yelling, “now that’s what I’m talking about!” to no one in particular while I assembled this sandwich.

Liz, I thank you. You have opened my eyes to a whole new culinary experience. It’s on, now!

The basic shooter sandwich involves a loaf of round white bread, scooped, and meat, cheese and veggies layered inside, pressed and sliced like a pie. The layers depend on whatever your fancy is that particular day. For our Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich giveaway, Liz suggested the Thanksgiving Shooter Sandwich as “the best way to get rid of most of your leftovers while embracing Thanksgiving fatness.” Was she singing the gospel here!

She not only sent over a recipe, but included a photo gallery documenting the process. I also found this video that maps out the fun step-by-step constuction. I would have done the same for y’all, except my videographer (ahem, my boyfriend) was working this weekend. Thus, I give you one from the experts:

Here’s what you need:
—Your leftovers
—4-6 hours of time
—ten pounds of weights
—your appetite. You WILL want a big slice of this.

Let’s go. First, the leftovers.
I used butter lettuce as a nice barrier from the bread to the wetter ingredients to come. Then you pile on whatever’s left in your refrigerator: stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy. Liz suggested crispy onions leftover from her green bean casserole, but I substituted crispy shallots because I wanted some fresh crunch in there. “You can be as creative as you want,” Liz wrote. She says the best results yield at least six layers. “If you’ve got hella leftovers, go for more.”

Once it’s loaded to the top, replace lid, wrap with wax paper and aluminum foil, and flatten. With what, you ask? Grab your cutting board, then whatever groceries are left from your Thanksgiving feast. Or grab a dumbbell. Or grab a few editions of “The Joy of Cooking.” Or your baby cousin. Put whatever weight is handy on top of the board, and let gravity go to work. Then, go for a jog, come back, shower, clean the kitchen, do some holiday shopping, whatever you can do to kill 3 to 6 hours. Don’t freak when you will hear the aluminum foil crunch as the sandwich flattens. That’s normal.

Come back, unwrap the pressed sandwich, slice and serve. Watch your family members’ mouths hang agape as you wow them with your shooter. Smack Dad’s hand away from your slice. Text your boyfriend a photo of the finished product, and have his slice ready when he races home minutes later. Then ask him for that purse you’ve had your eye on for a while, you know, because you deserve it after all of your hard work churning out this beautiful pressed sandwich.

And then, do it all again for Christmas.

This was adapted from Liz A’s original entry to reflect what I had in my fridge at the time. Liz, thanks so much for your entry, and your support of 300 Sandwiches.

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