A tasty (and pre-made!) substitute for the customary Thanksgiving turkey.
This stuffed turkey breast is the solution if you’re cooking for a smaller gathering during the holidays or want something different from standard turkey. This roast turkey, which cooks in about 1½ hours, is far more flavorful and juicy than your average roast turkey. It is adapted from Patrick and Gina Neely. It is also quite easy to carve and may be constructed in full ahead of time. I suggest hiring your butcher to thinly pound the turkey breast—it’s the trickiest component of the dish. This recipe has become a Thanksgiving staple in my family; even the dark meat aficionados favor it over the conventional roast turkey. Sometimes, just to make sure we have, I even make it in addition to roasting a big bird.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE ROLLED TURKEY BREAST WITH SAUSAGE & HERB STUFFING
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1First, prepare the stuffing. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
Stirring constantly, add the onions and celery and simmer until tender.
Add the garlic and sausage.
2For approximately five minutes, or until the sausage is cooked and lightly browned, keep cooking while breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, and wine.
3 Continue cooking for an additional two minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan’s bottom with your wooden spoon. Take off the heat source.
The egg, stuffing cubes, chicken stock, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sausage mixture should all be combined in a sizable mixing dish. Mix until the bread is completely saturated.
4Arrange the skin-side down butterflied turkey breast on a worktop or tabletop.
Pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
5Leaving a 1-inch border all around, spoon about half of the filling over the breast in an even 1/2-inch layer. (The leftover stuffing will be cooked separately.)
Roll the turkey into a long cylinder starting at the long end.
6After tying the roll with kitchen string, trim the string after leaving about 2 inches between knots.
7Place an oven-safe rack on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Spread some olive oil on the turkey, place it seam-side down on the rack, and season it with salt and pepper.
8Bake for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, or until a thermometer with an instant read value of 155°F is placed into the thickest section of the roll.
9After taking the turkey out of the oven, cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for fifteen minutes. As the turkey rests, its temperature will rise to 165°F. Cut the kitchen twine short. After transferring the roll to a chopping board, cut it into slices that are 1/2 inch thick. Serve with gravy after arranging on a plate.
Rolled Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herb Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 large stalks celery finely diced
- 3 large cloves garlic finely chopped
- 8 ounces mild Italian pork sausage casings removed (or substitute chicken or turkey sausage)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 large egg beaten
- 9 cups store-bought seasoned or unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 whole 2 halves (5 to 6 pound) skin-on turkey breast, boned and butterflied (see note)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Homemade gravy for serving
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until tender. After adding the sausage and garlic, heat for a further five minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, or until the sausage is cooked through and beginning to brown. Cook for an additional two minutes after adding the wine, rosemary, and thyme. During this time, scrape off any browned bits from the pan’s bottom with a wooden spoon. Take off the heat source.
- The sausage mixture, stuffing cubes, egg, chicken stock, parsley, and ½ teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper should all be combined in a large mixing basin. Mix until the bread is completely saturated.
- Place the butterflied turkey breast, skin side down, on a tabletop or workbench and cover with plastic wrap. Roll the turkey breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet until it reaches an even ½-inch thickness. Be patient; this will take some effort and time. After massaging the meat with a tablespoon of oil, sprinkle it with a ½ teaspoon of pepper and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Spread a ½-inch layer of about half of the stuffing evenly over the breast, leaving a 1-inch border all around. (At the very last minute of the turkey’s cooking, move any extra stuffing to an 8-inch baking dish and bake.)
- Roll the turkey into a long cylinder starting at the long end (you want to start at the end with less skin so that the skin ends up primarily on the outside of the roll). If some of the filling shows through, that’s okay. After tying the roll with kitchen string, trim the string after leaving about 2 inches between knots.
- Place an oven-safe rack on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Apply nonstick frying spray on the rack. Lay the turkey on the rack, seam side down. Pour in the leftover tablespoon of oil and add ½ teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt for seasoning. Bake for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, or until a thermometer with an immediate readout placed into the thickest portion of the roll registers 155°F. After taking the turkey out of the oven, cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for fifteen minutes. As the turkey rests, its temperature will rise to 165°F. Cut off and throw away the kitchen twine. After moving the roll to a chopping block, cut it into pieces that are ½ inch thick, then arrange them on a dish. Accompany with gravy.
- Note: To save yourself a step later, ask your butcher to butterfly and bone the turkey breast for you. You can also ask them to pound it to a thickness of ½ inch. When purchasing a boneless turkey breast, aim for one weighing approximately 4 pounds.
- Prepare Ahead: The ingredients for this recipe can be combined, cooked, covered, and kept in the fridge for up to two days in advance. After slicing the cold turkey roll, cook it up in an oven set to 300°F for 40 to 45 minutes while covered.
