Roasted Turkey Breast Roulade With Cranberry Herb Stuffing
turkey, stuffing, cranberries
This Roasted Turkey breast roulade with cranberry herb stuffing is a delicious and an easy to carve option. It’s also done in no time. It’s perfect when you want something simpler to roast than a whole turkey but something just as elegant and delicious to make for a dinner party and simple enough for Sunday family dinner. The stuffing or filling can be made the day before making it even quicker and easier to whip up for a great dinner! It’s surprisingly easy to make, super flavorful and perfect with a side of buttery mashed potatoes.
I recently had to shoot a roulade for a company that requested making it from a whole turkey. It’s was my first time deboning an entire turkey and actually went through two of them to get it just right. The key is to keep the skin intact so you can utilize it to keep your roulade or turkey roll together. You have to check out Youtube to see it done properly. It’s quite an undertaking especially if you don’t love handling meat like me. My hands were sore for a couple of days after deboning that much meat, but it did feel like an accomplishment. Despite all the work and toil our shot never made the cut - they went with a shot of a turkey breast roulade unfortunately, which was fine but a little disappointing as it’s wasn’t really what the recipe called for.
Anyway I did really enjoy the filling in the recipe and I thought I would share it on the blog with a very simplified version of a turkey roulade - namely a turkey breast roulade. Deboning a turkey breast is a lot easier than a whole turkey. It’s simply cutting along the bone to loosen it from the rest of the meat and it actually comes away quite easily. You can buy whole turkey breast deboned too though or you can also get your butcher to do the work for you. Just try your best to keep the skin intact. The roulade stays together by means of the skin primarily so it’s good to keep it intact. The skin also acts as a barrier to hinder the turkey breast from drying out while it’s cooking (it WILL still dry out if you overcook it though!).
One you have your turkey deboned it is important to season it well with salt and pepper. I usually don’t need to use a meat tenderizer to get the meat flatter as it tends to do just fine. But if you want your turkey to be a bit flatter in order to roll it easier feel free to flatten it out a bit with a tenderizer before spreading over the filling. When it comes to the filling or stuffing, I love the texture the wild rice gives the filling. It’s has a nutty flavour and a chewy texture. If you want a substitute you can use quinoa or even omit it and use some chopped nuts in place of it like almond or hazelnuts. I really love the flavour of sage, rosemary and cranberries with turkey but if you prefer to use a different herb medley feel free to do so. The kale is a way to add extra green to your filling and a great idea. Spinach would work really well too or any hearty green. The amount of filling to turkey is a moderate amount. Feel free to double it if you want a hefty amount of filling and make sure to season it generously.
It roasts up beautifully and using the maple syrup as a glaze to baste it with gives it a nice subtle sweetness and also helps the skin caramelize. Juicy, tender and delicious. Rolled up tight around a sweet, savory, earthy and rich stuffing. A very approachable and show stopping way to roast turkey.
Recipe
Ingredients
For the turkey
- 1 whole 5 lb (2 halves) turkey breast boned and butterflied - skin on
- 3 tbsp of butter softened
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- Salt and pepper
For stuffing/filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots peeled and minced
- 1 clove of garlic peeled and minced
- ½ tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1½ cups baby kale chopped
- ½ cup cooked wild rice
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp cranberries
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper
For the gravy
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup brandy (could substitute with white wine or apple cider)
- Salt and black pepper
Directions
For the filling
- In large skillet heat oil over medium heat and cook shallots until softened.
- Add garlic and fresh herbs and cook another minute until fragrant.
- Add the kale and cook another couple of minutes until wilted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Add the rice, bread crumbs, dried cranberries, eggs and salt and pepper and store well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. Stuffing can be made and stored in the fridge put to a day ahead.
For the Turkey
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a baking rack on a deep sheet pan or roasting pan
- Lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat generously with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread the stuffing in a ½-inch-thick layer over the meat and spread it leaving a border of a few inches on either side. Don’t mound the stuffing too high or the turkey will be difficult to roll.
- Starting at 1 end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.
- Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and Roast for 30 minutes, then REDUCE the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting until the skin is golden brown and crispy, removing and basting generously with the maple syrup 2 times during baking, and a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roulade reaches 155°F, approximately another 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest while you make the gravy.
- For the gravy: Set the roasting pan over a burner over medium heat. (Or carefully empty contents into a sauce pan) Whisk the flour into the drippings to form a paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, turn off the heat and add the brandy to the pan. Turn the heat back on and cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Making the gravy is optional but recommended.
- Slice and serve with the gravy!
