Everyone loves turkey during the holidays, but boy, those turkeys are big! With so many leftovers, turkey dishes can become a little overwhelming and stale. Never fear, because Turkey Flautas with Black Bean Sauce are here to make the leftover dilemma into a delicious dinner.

Flautas are flute-shaped tacos and are made in exactly the same manner as a regular fried taco. However, the shape of flautas is so much better for scooping up sauces or serving up loads of vegetable toppings. The black bean sauce in this recipe is rich with flavor and so very easy to make.

Making flautas is a skill worth learning, so here are some tips that make the process easier:

• Toothpicks seem like the logical way to make corn tortillas stay rolled into a flute shape. However, the toothpicks are difficult to remove once the flauta is fried. You can roll the flautas more tightly by steaming the tortillas first. Also, cold corn tortillas have a tendency to break into pieces when they are rolled. Again, the trick to keeping the corn tortilla from breaking is to steam the tortillas before you begin rolling them.
• To steam your tortillas, simply wrap your stack of tortillas in a clean towel, pour a little water over the bundle, and microwave for about a minute. The tortillas will be pliable for rolling.
• Only add a small amount of turkey to each flauta, about 1⁄2 ounce per flauta. Line up the formed flautas next to each other seam side down in a baking pan before cooking so that they do not unroll.

After those heavy formal meals at the family table, it is fun to make a batch of flautas for snacking during the football game. And do not forget: just like tacos, flautas are much better served as finger food. No fancy silverware required!

Ingredients

Black Beans Sauce

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 15-ounce can black beans
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Flautas

• 16 corn tortillas, 6-inch diameter
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 8 ounces cooked turkey, finely chopped

Toppings

• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1⁄2 cup queso fresco, crumbled or substitute your favorite shredded cheese
• Chopped cilantro
• Your favorite salsa

Instructions

1. For the black bean sauce, heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in an 8-inch skillet.
2. Add the can of black beans, including the liquid. Mash with a potato masher until the beans are smooth.
3. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until heated throughout.
4. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary to make the bean sauce thinner for serving. Keep warm.
5. To make the flautas, wrap the tortillas in a clean damp towel, and microwave on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until they are steamed and pliable.
6. Heat the 2 cups of vegetable oil in a clean 10-inch skillet.
7. While the vegetable oil is heating, fill a tortilla by adding a spoonful of the chopped turkey, forming an off-center line in the hot tortilla, and then roll up.
8. Hold the formed flautas in a pan until ready to fry, keeping them side-by-side, seam side down so they do not unroll.
9. Carefully place the rolled flautas seam side down in the hot vegetable oil, and fry for about 2 minutes.
10. Fry the flautas side by side so they do not unroll. Carefully turn each flauta to the other side and continue to fry for another minute until it is golden brown and crispy on all sides.
11. Remove the flautas to a pan lined with paper towels to drain. Enjoy with the toppings and black bean sauce.