Sausage Stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade
My fig and sausage stuffed turkey breast roulade makes an impressive main course which is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday dinner. And while it rests you can make a white wine gravy from the drippings!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 650kcal
Ingredients
Turkey Breast
- 1 whole turkey breast, both halves
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Sausage Fig Stuffing
- 5 large dried figs, about 1/2 cup chopped
- 1/3 cup brandy, or bourbon
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 slices sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions, finely diced
- 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2-3 cups chicken or turkey stock
White Wine Pan Gravy
- 1 cup white wine
- 1-2 cups chicken or turkey stock
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Turkey Breast
- If you can find boneless turkey breast in the store, certainly buy that. However, you will most likely need to buy a whole turkey breast on the bone (not a split turkey breast) and either have the butcher cut it off for you or do it yourself. To bone the turkey breast yourself, find the breast bone and begin cutting along one side of the bone until you have an incision goes the length of your turkey. Then begin cutting along the bone down away from the breast bone. Do the same on the other side. Remove the tenderloins (they will be hanging half off anyway) by lifting them up and slicing them off. Keep the skin attached.
- Once you have your two turkey breasts, mix together the brine ingredients and let them brine overnight.
- Remove the turkey breast from the brine, give it a rinse to remove excess salt, and pat it dry. Then place your turkey breast skin down with the pointy end facing you. Look at the sides of the turkey and see if one is a little thicker than the other. Begin cutting, parallel to the cutting board halfway through the thickness of the breast. Cut until you are about 1 inch from the other side and then open the turkey like a book. Cover the turkey breast with some plastic wrap and pound it to 1 inch thick.
Sausage Fig Stuffing
- In a small saucepan bring the figs, brandy, and water to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes and then take the figs off the heat and let them sit while you make the rest of the stuffing.
- Preheat oven to 200F. Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet until mostly dry and just beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onions and pinch of salt and saute until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, breaking it up with the side of a spoon and saute until the sausage is cooked through and broken up into small pieces, about 10 minutes.
- Cut the figs into a 1/4 inch dice. Add the figs, their liquid, the sage, and rosemary to the sausage mixture. Saute for another 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and sausage stuffing. Add 1/2 cup of stock to the stuffing and stir. If it's still a little dry, add another 1/4 cup of stock. Stuffing can be prepared ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight.
Making the Roulades
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Lay out both of the turkey breasts skin side down on your board. Divide the stuffing between them, spreading it out into an even layer and keeping a 1 inch border around the edges.
- Firmly roll up the turkey breast, tucking any escaped stuffing back in as you roll to make an even cylinder with the skin on the outside. Tie the roulade with kitchen twine every 2 inches.
- Place a rack in your roasting pan and put the roulades on the rack seam side down. Roast for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes add 1 cup of chicken stock and roast for another 20 minutes. Check the stock and add another cup if you need to and continue roasting for 20 minutes. At this point you will have roasted the roulades for 1 hour. Check the temperature with your thermometer and roast the roulades until they reach 155-160F in the center. Depending on the size, this can take another 10-20 minutes.
- Transfer the roulades to a cutting board and let them rest for 20 minutes. Once they are done resting, remove the twine and carefully cut them into 1/2 inch slices.
White Wine Gravy
- While the roulades are resting, make the gravy.
- Put your roasting pan over your largest burner and bring the drippings to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour in the white wine and another cup of stock and stir to loosen the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer the drippings for 2 minutes.
- Mix together the corn starch and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. With your whisk at the ready, add corn starch slurry by the tablespoon and whisk it into the hot drippings. If it gets too thick, add a little more stock until you are happy with the amount and thickness of the gravy.
- Serve the roulades with the gravy.
Notes
- Deboning the turkey breast: This is not something I'm practiced at, and it turned out to be quite simple. Just cut along the bone. Make sure you have a long thin knife, go slowly the first time you do it and, while removing the tenderloins is optional, doing so makes the rest of the recipe go much easier. (Save the tenderloins for another recipe.) Here is a photoset to help you visualize.
- Not sure how to tie a roast? Here is a tutorial.
- Making the gravy: Turkey roulades are very low in fat, so I don't separate the drippings and instead go straight to making the gravy. Also, gravy making is best when you look at how much liquid you have and how thick you like it and add stock and thickener to your taste.
- Cutting the roulades: This can be a tricky process to cut them and have perfect circles. Resting helps a lot; however, if you want no stress about cutting, it is actually best to make the roulades ahead of time, chill them in the fridge until completely cool, cut them into slices, and then warm them in the oven briefly.
- Menu: Try these turkey roulades with Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce with Port and Oranges, and Green Bean and Almond Salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 650kcal