Planning Thanksgiving is something I look forward to every year, and every year I challenge myself to get creative. Call me crazy, but my favorite thing on earth is to spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking elaborate meals for friends and family. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a traditional turkey, but why not try something different. Trust me, it’s fun, and the lucky peeps sharing your table will be wowed and ever so grateful for the delicious creativity.
Some of our past creations have included Roasted Turkey a la Tangerine, Herb Buttered Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy, and Apple-Sage Flat Iron Grilled Turkey. This year we are cooking Thanksgiving twice to accommodate visiting friends. For the first pre-holiday turkey we boned, stuffed, and rolled a turkey breast with Italian sausage, mushrooms, and dried cherries, and it was amazing! Don’t stress, you can buy a boneless turkey breast or have the butcher bone it for you. Take a look at the steps we took to create a Dried Cherry and Italian Sausage, Turkey Roulade.
Remove from the heat and add the mushroom-sausage mixture to the cooked vegetables. Mix in the herbs and pine nuts until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and place on a clean work surface, skin-side down. Pat the turkey dry on both sides using paper towels. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
Place the filling mixture in the center and evenly spread over the surface, leaving a 1-inch border at the edges.
Beginning at the shortest end, carefully roll the breast up, enclosing the stuffing. Using kitchen twine, tie the roulade at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside liberally with salt and pepper.
Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey roulade and brown on all sides. Transfer the turkey to an aluminum-lined sheet tray and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 150°. Reserve the pan for gravy.
Now slice it up and enjoy it with or without gravy. Yum!
The aromatics, toasted pine nuts, spicy Italian sausage, sweet chewy cherries, and woody mushrooms make an unbelievable stuffing for this amazing turkey roulade.
Author: Soffia Wardy
Category: Main, Poultry
Ingredients
For the Turkey Roulade
- 1/4 c butter
- 3/4 c finely chopped onions (about 1 small onion)
- 1/2 c finely chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
- 1/2 c finely chopped fennel
- 1/2 c finely chopped leeks (about 1 leek)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 c dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 1/2 c cognac
- 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 oz mushrooms, such as chanterelle, cremini, or shitake
- 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp. pine nuts toasted
- 3 1/2 lb boneless turkey breast with skin, butterflied (see note)
For the Gravy
- 3 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of fresh sage
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1/4 c white wine
- 2 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4 c chicken stock, preferably homemade
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
- Wipe out the skillet and heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, until any water they have released has evaporated, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage has browned but is still slightly raw in the center, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mushroom-sausage mixture to the cooked vegetables. Mix in the herbs and pine nuts until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the turkey roulade: Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the onions, celery, fennel, leeks, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the dried cherries and cook until the cherries are plump, about 3 minutes. Add the cognac and reduce until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and place it on a clean work surface, skin-side down. Pat the turkey dry on both sides using paper towels. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Place the filling mixture in the center and evenly spread over the surface, leaving a 1-inch border at the edges. Beginning at the shortest end, carefully roll the breast up, enclosing the stuffing. Using kitchen twine, tie the roulade at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside liberally with salt and pepper.
- Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey roulade and brown on all sides, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the turkey to an aluminum-lined sheet tray and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 150°, about 12 to 15 minutes per pound. Reserve the pan for gravy. Remove the roulade from the oven and form a loose tent using foil and allow it to rest on a clean work surface. Reserve drippings from the sheet tray.
- While the turkey is roasting, make the gravy: Tie the parsley, thyme, sage, and bay leaf together using kitchen twine to form a bouquet garni. Place the reserved pan over medium heat and add the reserved drippings to the pan. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine, scraping any brown bits on the bottom, and reduce by half. Adjust the heat to low. Add the flour and stir until the roux has become golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the gravy has reduced to 2 cups and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper
- Untie the turkey breast and slice crosswise into ½-inch to 1-inch slices. Serve with gravy.
Notes
When making the roulade, make sure to pat the turkey very dry on both sides before adding the sausage mixture. That way you’ll get a beautiful golden-brown sear on the outside.
