hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know that everyone is probably still feasting on leftovers. My thoughts have already moved on towards the big Christmas meal. Today, I want to focus on the main event of the meal. In this case, it’s a twist on turkey.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas being so close together, I like to change up the way the turkey is prepared. This recipe is a Cajun way to prepare a turkey breast. The boudin acts as the stuffing, or dressing, for this dish. So gather up your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!
Boudin-Stuffed Turkey Roulade
3 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound boudin sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 (2 3/4 to 3-pound whole skin on boneless turkey breast. trimmed (two breasts)
2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups filtered apple cider
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in boudin, thyme, and Creole seasonings. Remove form heat, and let cool completely.
Carefully remove skin from turkey breasts; set aside. Remove tenderloin from each breasts, and reserve for another use. Place 1 turkey breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, Using a meat mallet, pound breasts to 1/2-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining breast. In a small bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons salt, granulated garlic, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Sprinkle half of salt mixture over three breasts.
Stretch skin out on a large cutting board. Place pounded turkey breasts on skin, side by side lengthwise and slightly overlapped. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound overlapping turkey breasts to help adhere.
Sprinkle boudin mixture onto turkey breasts, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Starting on one short side, (parallel to turkey breast seam), roll up turkey, jelly roll style. Wrap skin around rolled turkey breast, lining up skin and roulade seams. Tie roulade with butcher's twine at 1 1/2 to 2-inch intervals. Trim ends, if desired. Sprinkle with remaining salt mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Pat roulade dry; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325℉. Place a wire rack of a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Place roulade on prepared rack. Brush all over with oil.
Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 150 ℉, about one hour. Increase oven temperature to 475℉. Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer enterred into the thickest portion registers 160 - 165℉, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if needed. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat cider over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup 25 to 30 minutes. Add cream, and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sage, vinegar, cayenne, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until well combined. serve immediately with roulade.
It’s hard not to get excited at this time of the year. For me, the food seems to taste just a little bit better. It’s probably because all of the love that goes into the cooking and the people that are eating with you. Next time, we are going to revisit the cookie swap tradition.
Comments