Table Talk » My Post-Thanksgiving Turkey

I grew up in Plymouth, MA and my family still lives there. If you grew up in the land of the first Thanksgiving, that is where you go for Thanksgiving. My mom cooks the turkey and most of the dinner. That means we don't get a lot of luscious turkey leftovers. So this year, rather than raiding mom's turkey leftovers, I roasted a turkey breast a few days after Thanksgiving.

My friend Kris shared this Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy that she had made for her Thanksgiving dinner and gave it rave reviews. Ah, I found the starting point for my turkey breast.

The recipe from Rachael Ray calls for boned turkey breast halves. I decided to skip splitting and boning my whole turkey breast. I added a bit of garlic to the herb rub. And I used a few more bay leaves, and since I didn't have any apple cider, I decided to use white wine and turkey broth in the gravy. I wanted lots of gravy, so I also added 1 cup of white wine to the roasting pan.

I also made some Stuffing Muffins, but I don't have a recipe for them because stuffing is something that I make by adding this and that. The base for the stuffing muffins is whole wheat bread that I dried in the oven. They have celery, onion, sage, sweet Italian sausage, turkey broth, butter, and white wine, but I have no idea how much of each.

Speaking of turkey broth, I use Savory Choice Turkey Broth Concentrate.I love this broth concentrate.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing Muffins

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy
adapted by Patti Anastasia from Rachael Ray's Thanksgiving in 60

Serves 6-8

Turkey:
9 fresh bay leaves, divided
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 lemon, scrubbed clean
12 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 5-pound turkey breast, skin on
1 cup white wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups turkey broth

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place 6 bay leaves in the roasting pan and set the pan aside.

Put 3 of the bay leaves and butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put the onion and garlic into the bowl of mini food processor. Using a microplane, zest the lemon, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add lemon zest to the processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion, garlic, and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Pulse until it forms a coarse paste.

Put turkey breast on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from one end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Stuff the herb paste under the skin and spread evenly.

Transfer the turkey breast into the roasting pan. Pour one cup of white wine over the turkey. Season turkey breast with salt and pepper. Using a silicone brush, baste the turkey breast with half of the bay butter. Place turkey into the oven and immediately decrease heat to 400 degrees. After 20 minutes, bast the turkey breasts with remaining butter and roast for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometers placed in the thickest part registers 165F.

Put the roasting pan in the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle flour over pan juices, and cook, stirring for a few minutes. Add the wine and scrape pan to lift bits that are stuck to bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in turkey broth. Bring to simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal and serve with the gravy.

Posted November 27, 2007 9:37 AM in Recipes, Techniques, Test Kitchen

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