Thanksgiving Dinner - Turkey Rolls with Stuffing

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH, 2009

4.5 stars [out of 5 - pretty good, but a whole turkey is probably better ;)]

Ingredients:

This is for 6 people (original recipe); I used only one turkey cutlet for SB:

2.5-3lb turkey breast*
1.5 cups of your favourite stuffing*
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Toothpicks or twine

{Note. For less people, you can also use individual turkey cutlets for each person, which is what I did. However, the turkey breast will still have the skin, which makes for a better meat in the end and prevents it from drying out. I think I will do that next time. For the stuffing, I just used StoveTop because I was lazy, but if you have a great stuffing recipe it will probably make this meal even better}.


1. First, I cooked the stuffing and set it aside.


2. If you have turkey breasts, you will need to butterfly the meat, and pound it with a meat mallet until even thickness. I seasoned one side of the turkey cutlet with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of garlic powder.


3. I spooned stuffing over the turkey (non-skin side), about 3/4 of an inch deep.


4. Next, I rolled up the turkey as tightly as possible and secured with toothpicks. If you are using a large piece of meat for several people, you will need to use some twine. This keeps the shape of the turkey as it cooks.


5. I then gave the turkey a good coating of olive oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder again.

6. I then placed in the oven at 350F. If you are using a large piece of meat, use a rimmed baking sheet covered in a little olive oil.

7. I only had to bake mine for about 35 minutes because my cutlets were so small, but if you have a large piece of meat, this can take up to 1.5 hours. Cook until the internal temperature is 165F (you can cook it until 160F and let it rise to 165F as it cools to prevent it from drying out), and let it sit, covered for 10 minutes. Remove twine/toothpicks, and serve! (One note, if the turkey becomes brown while cooking, you may also want to cover with aluminum foil).



I served this with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, but you can serve with whatever sides you like for Thanksgiving. I like this recipe because I don't see myself ever tackling a full turkey (I don't think that as a vegetarian I could handle that), but can still make a nice Thanksgiving meal for non-vegetarians. I have only tried this with small pieces of turkey cutlet, but think next time I will try a large turkey breast so that I can keep the skin on it, which everyone loves and I don't have to worry about it drying out.

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