Ιf you don’t feel like cooking a whole turkey this year, looking for something new, or don’t plan on feeding a huge family crowd, stuff a turkey breast. Any left-over stuffing, mixed with rice makes a fantastic and delicious dish side.
I wrapped my turkey with pork intestine fat but that’s totally optional. You will impress your guests with this recipe and might be tempted not to cook a whole turkey again. Serve it with a simple gravy or just a nice selection of mustards. Or take a slice straight out of the fridge and make yourself a festive sandwich. Happy holidays!
Stuffed Turkey Breast
Ιf you don’t feel like cooking a whole turkey this year, looking for something new, or don’t plan on feeding a huge family crowd, stuff a turkey breast. Any left-over stuffing, mixed with rice makes a fantastic and delicious dish side.
Ingredients
For the stuffing
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 50 grams butter
- 2 tsp garlic chopped
- 3 Tbsp shallots chopped
- 1 kg chicken liver
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 100 ml “koumandaria” or port
- 100 ml red wine
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 80 grams raisins
- 40 grams toasted pine nuts
For the turkey breast
- 1,2 kg turkey breast
- 2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
- 200 grams vintage cheddar
- 2 pieces pork intestine fat optional
- 400 grams long grain rice
Instructions
Start with the stuffing
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil, butter, shallots and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally until soft and beginning to colour. Add chicken livers and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or so, until liver is no longer red but is still raw inside. Pour “koumandaria” and wine in skillet. Add thyme and parsley. Lower the heat and simmer until almost no liquid remains in the skillet. Use your spatula to break larger pieces of liver into smaller ones. Mix in raisins and pine nuts. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the turkey breast.
Prepare the turkey
- Cover a wooden board with plastic wrap. Lay turkey breast on the board and open up. Use a sharp knife slice the fatter part of the breast in half, but not all the way through.
- Cover breast with another piece of plastic and pound with a rolling pin to roughly an even thickness. The larger you make the breast, the easier it will be to stuff and roll. Roll up the breast and set aside.
- Lay a piece of pork intestine fat on the plastic wrap and open it up well. Use overhanging pieces to cover any holes. Season all over with salt and pepper. Lay the turkey breast on top.
- Spread with the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Spread breast with about 1/3 of the stuffing, pressing down well to help adhere. Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Roll up breast as tightly as you can, starting from the shorter side if there is one. Don’t worry if some of the stuffing escapes during the process, you can push it back in again.
- Roll the breast roll into the pork intestine. Roll it once more in the second piece. Cut out excess and tuck edges under.
- Tie roll with pieces of string. I find that this helps the roll keep its shape after it cooks. At this stage you can keep the roll in covered in the fridge for 24 hours.
- To roast the turkey, preheat oven to 200° C fan. Place turkey roll in a lightly oiled baking pan. Roast for 50 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 220° and roast 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let roll stand for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Serve plain, with a simple wine and mustard gravy or a selection of mustards.
Make the stuffing rice
- Put 400 grams of long grain rice in a large pot. Add the remaining liver stuffing and 4 cups of chicken stock or water. Bring to boil, cover pot, lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes until rice is cooked through. Happy Holidays!
