I’m thinking that the anticipation of the delights of the Thanksgiving table is as important (more important, perhaps?) as the meal itself. After all, eating the turkey, stuffing, casseroles and pies takes minutes, even with heaping plates of seconds – less than the halftime break of the Detroit Lions or Dallas Cowboys football game.

But the anticipation? It goes on for weeks. I was struck by this idea as a colleague, Itasca Wiggins, rhapsodized more than a month ago about one of her favorite Thanksgiving traditions: the post-feast turkey sandwich. Of course, cold turkey on bread, slicked with mayo and embellished with other treasures, like cranberry sauce or stuffing, is as iconic as the glistening mahogany roasted bird itself. But Itasca likes her sandwich hot, open face, with plenty of gravy poured over the layers of turkey, cranberry and leftover dinner rolls that gird the whole. Conjuring an old-style diner classic, her knife-and-fork version intrigued.

So I tried it, and now I’m convinced of her rightness. The version here toys a bit with Itasca’s, embellishing the gravy with sauteed mushrooms and shallots. A bit of parsley adds color, but you can skip such fanciness … maybe a scoop of green bean casserole instead? If there is no gravy left, you can stir some together in no time, following the method here. Then it’s a simple matter of heating up and assembling.