Roast Turkey Breast With Shallot White Wine Sauce

Roast Turkey Breast With Shallot White Wine Sauce

You might need to order boneless turkey breast (two breasts attached) ahead of time to be assured of availability. If you can't find a boneless double turkey breast, ask the butcher to debone one for you and be sure to use a meat thermometer for accuracy.

Ingredients

Stuffing:

4 slices two-day-old multi-grain bread
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 onion chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried sage leaves, crumbled
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
Pinch pepper

2 to 4 tbsp (30 to 60 mL) chicken stock
3.5 to 4 lb (1.7 to 2 kg) boneless double turkey breast, skin on
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
Thyme, rosemary and pepper
Shallot White Wine Sauce:
1 large or small onion, diced
1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine
1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock, approx.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Prepare stuffing: remove crusts from bread, tear into chunks and process in food processor until crumbly but not too fine. Place in shallow baking pan and dry in oven (while oven is preheating) until lightly brown and dry. Stir often.

Measure out 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) bread crumbs. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. In bowl, combine onion, bread crumbs, lemon peel, parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Add just enough stock to make a stuffing that sticks together but is not too soggy (amount will depend on dryness of bread).

Open up turkey breast, place stuffing evenly over meat, roll up and tie with twine (another pair of hands are helpful here). Place on rack in small roasting pan. Brush with oil and season with thyme, crumbled rosemary and pepper. Put meat thermometer in thickest part of meat. Place pan on middle rack of oven. Roast until thermometer reads 170F (77C), about 1-1/2 hours, or until juices run clear.

Transfer to cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Sauce: Pour off all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) fat from roasting pan. If pan is too small to make sauce, use a saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Stir in shallots and cook a few minutes to soften. Add wine, bring to a boil, scraping up flavourful brown bits and reduce wine to a few tablespoons. Stir in flour and cook about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in stock and adjust heat to simmer and cook until mixture boils and thickens to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Carve turkey.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Tip: Grated lemon peel adds a light touch to the herb bread stuffing, but you could also use orange peel for variety.