TURKEY ROULADE WITH SAUSAGE AND CRANBERRY STUFFING

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Cook the onions and celery, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the sausage, rosemary, and sage to the pan.  Continue to cook, breaking the sausage up with a spatula, until the sausage is just cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Add the stuffing mix, cranberries, and stock to the pan and toss everything together to coat and allow the stuffing to absorb the stock and juices from the sausage.  Let cool to room temperature and then, mix in the egg, tossing to fully incorporate.  Set aside.

You can ask your butcher to debone or turkey breast or do it yourself. I am giving you a brief description on how to do this and there are also very helpful videos on YouTube showing the process.

Carefully remove the skin from the turkey breast in one piece and set aside.  Debone the turkey breast.  First, using a very sharp knife, cut out the backbone and then cut into the keel/breastbone and flatten the breast.  Cut the keel bone out sliding your knife along the bone to release the flesh.  Then, cut along the rib bones on either side of the breast releasing them from the flesh.  You will see the tenderloins on either side.  ‘Flip’ these toward the outside of the breast creating a more even thickness and shape of the meat.

Place the deboned breast on the countertop with the ‘inside’ facing up.  Cover the breast with clear plastic wrap and flatten with a meat pound to an even ½ – ¾” thickness all over, taking care not to tear the meat.

Remove the plastic wrap and season the flattened breast liberally with about 1 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.  Spread the cooled stuffing in an even layer all over the breast, pressing it gently ‘into’ the meat to flatten with your hands.

Starting with the short side of the meat, tightly roll the breast, jelly-roll-style.  Place several 2-3’ sheets of plastic wrap on the clean counter, overlapping.  Place the roulade, seam-side-down, in the center of the plastic wrap.  Take the reserved turkey skin and wrap it around the roulade to cover, tucking it in on the sides.

Using kitchen twine, tie the roulade together at 2” intervals and then, weave the twine lengthwise, from end to end to secure.   Season with more of the salt and pepper.  Wrap the roll tightly with the plastic wrap and twist the ends.  Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Bring the roulade to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Unwrap the roulade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.  Rub the butter all over the skin.  Pour the white wine and water in the pan under the roulade.

Bake for 1 ½-2 hours.  Check the temperature periodically and remove it from the oven when it registers 150 degrees in the center of the roulade.  Place the roulade on a cutting board and tent with foil.  Let rest for 20-30 minutes before carving into slices showcasing the signature swirl.

While the turkey is resting, make the gravy.  Combine the flour and water in a jar and shake to dissolve the flour.  Bring the pan drippings to a low boil and gradually whisk in the slurry until the gravy reaches a thick smooth consistency.  You may not use all of the slurry depending on the amount of pan drippings.  You can also make more if the gravy is too thin.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Serve slices of the roulade with mashed potatoes, drizzled with the gravy.