I’m going to tell you about something that has nothing to do with cheese.

It also has nothing to do with the fact that I currently have 26 jars of peanut butter open in a drawer in my kitchen that I have officially deemed “the peanut butter drawer” and I’ve just ordered another.

Or to do with the fact I spent nearly $14 on a pint of locally made eggnog, and then proceeded to pour a tad bit too much whiskey into my glass to where I couldn’t even taste the eggnog. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to waste that much eggnog on my whiskey…

And it most definitely has nothing to do with the fact that I probably most definitely won a mom of the year award. By not fully reading e-mails that are sent to me and having my daughter show up to dance class as the only dancer not dressed as a princess.

But it does have to do with a deep-fried burrito.

Better known as a chimichanga.

When we were living in North Carolina there was this local burrito shop called “Dank Burrito”. Most of the year I had enough discipline to avoid purchasing a burrito weekly, until the holidays rolled around and they brought out my absolute favorite – the Danksgiving burrito. Stuffed with herb roasted turkey breast and stuffing. Fried to perfection. Smothered in turkey gravy. And served with cranberry chutney. I mean, what’s not to love?

The fact that it’s 476 miles away.

That’s what’s not to love.

So, after two years of not being able to get my favorite deep-fried burrito, I figured I’d try my hand at making my own.

And I’m not afraid to admit that it’s pretty damn good.

So, on the third day of Christmas, I’m sharing with you:

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Holiday Chimichanga

serves 1

for the burrito:

• roasted turkey breast*
• leftover stuffing (or just used the boxed stuff)
• large burrito sized tortilla
• 1/4 c canola oil

for the small batch turkey gravy:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 c turkey stock

for the small batch cranberry sauce:

• 1 c fresh cranberries
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

In a large saucepan, mix together the cranberries, sugar, zest, orange juice, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil.

Once the cranberry mixture is boiling, cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened. Set aside to cool as you prepare the rest of components.

On a clean surface, lay out the flour tortilla. Place about 1/2 c stuffing and 1/2 c shredded roast turkey in the center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over and roll up like a burrito.

In a small saucepan, melt the 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add in the 1 tbsp flour and cook about a minute to get the raw flour taste to go away. Pour in the 1/4 c turkey stock and simmer until thickened.

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add canola oil and place chimichanga seam side down. Turn lightly every 2-30 seconds or until golden brown on all sides.

You can either serve the chimichangas in a foil wrap with both the gravy and cranberry sauce on the side as a dip, or you can smother the chimichanga in gravy with the cranberry sauce on the side. Either way – this meal is bomb.

*Since I’ve found out that you can air fry a turkey breast, I have been using that method when making turkey. This means I can enjoy turkey more than 1 time a year, because I’m willing to actually take the time to make it (cooks in an hour). I definitely recommend trying it. And then making this with your leftovers!