Turkey, all tied up

The whole turkey, all glorious and glistening with crispy skin, is usually the centerpiece of the holiday table. I have written dozens of articles on how to roast, spatchcock, and confit–plus numerous other perfect bird techniques–and I have enjoyed cooking and tasting my way through each of them. But this Thanksgiving, I want to not only savor the turkey–but also my guests, many of whom I missed last year.

So, this year, I am making a turkey roulade. I love that the whole stuffed turkey roast will be moist with crispy skin. I am excited for the perfect bite: stuffing, turkey, and gravy all mingling together on my fork and then palate. Mostly, I am looking forward to a simple presentation and less fuss. There is a little on the preparation side, but every holiday meal worth serving has some prep.

This year, I won’t reheat the breast separately from the legs and thighs so as not to dry out the breast. No drippy cutting board at the table and no fussing allowed. This neat and tidy package is a perfect one and done. To really keep the dish simple, the stuffing can be made several days ahead of serving, and the turkey breast can be butterflied and pounded several days ahead. On Thanksgiving, just stuff, roll, and roast!

Turkey Roulade

Serves 6-8

1 3-4-pound whole boneless turkey breast, skin-on (have your butcher do this)

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1-pound mixed mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 medium apples, cored and diced small

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles, chopped

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup diced roasted and shelled chestnuts

3 cups herbed croutons

1 cup turkey or chicken stock

½ cup dry white wine

2 whole eggs, whisked

1. Place turkey breast, skin-side down, on a cutting board. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound the breast to an even thickness of about 1-inch. Transfer turkey breast to a sheet pan and set aside.
2. In a large sauté pan, lightly coated with olive oil, sauté onion, celery, mushrooms, and apples in batches until lightly golden brown. Add minced garlic, sage, parsley, thyme, and rosemary to the last batch toward the end of the cooking time to keep garlic from over-browning. Transfer caramelized ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add dates, chestnuts, croutons, stock, wine, and eggs. Stir to combine. Allow to cool completely.
3. Season flesh side of turkey breast with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing, leaving a ½ inch border around turkey breast. Roll turkey breast, as tightly as possible, pushing back any pieces of stuffing that try to escape. Tie turkey roulade every 2 inches with kitchen twine. Extra stuffing can be baked, separately, in a casserole and served as a side dish.
4. Preheat oven to 325F. Season skin-side of turkey breast. Place a baking cooling rack on a sheet pan covered in parchment. Or I like to add several cups of chopped celery, onions, and lots of fresh herbs with a splash of white wine to a roasting pan and nestle the roulade atop the aromatic pile of goodness. This will make the gravy very flavorful later.
5. Roast roulade for about 1 ½ hours or until a thermometer reads 150F.
6. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

For the Gravy

I cannot stand the notion of serving turkey without a pan jus or gravy. Turkey needs the flavorful dunk in some delicious sauce to really be complete. This recipe is quick and easy!

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Any pan drippings saved from roasting

2 shallots, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour (I like Wondra for this)

2 cups turkey or chicken stock

½ cup white wine

½ cup apple cider (not apple juice)

1 bouquet garni of: celery rib bundled with thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, parsley stems, a few sage leaves, and a bay leaf tied with kitchen twine

1. Heat olive oil and any poultry fat separated from pan drippings, in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened and translucent.
2. Add flour and whisk into a paste. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, to cook out raw flour flavor. Add stock, wine, apple cider, and bouquet garni. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove bouquet garni before serving.

Laura Frankel is a noted kosher chef, a cookbook author, and Culinary Director for a media company. Currently, she serves as Director of Catering at Circle of Life catering at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.