My First Choice in Turkey!!

Gobble Gobble Gobble!!!
I've prepared a lot of Thanksgiving meals through the years and have loved doing it.  Last year was different because I taught or prepared SIX turkeys as a Williams-Sonoma associate and class instructor.  The Spicy Stuffed Turkey Breast was my favorite.  My second favorite was a buttermilk brined roasted whole turkey.  But let's go with this one first:

Spicy stuffed turkey breast
( a Giada de Laurentiis recipe)

Ingredients:

2-2lb boneless, skin on turkey breasts halves, butterflied - that's a 4+ pound breast.  Have your butcher take the bones out and butterfly it for you.  You want to net 4 pounds of meat.
1 cup crumbled corn bread, store bought
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, no casings
2 tsp Calabrian chili paste ***
1/2 cup pecorino cheese, grated
2 tsp toasted fennel seeds, ground
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, ground
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
6 (1 inch )slices of ciabatta bread
6 Tbs. olive oil (divided)


Method:
There's a video on Food Network

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl mix together the corn bread and ilk.  Allow the mixture to soak for 10 minutes.
To the bread mixture add the sausage, chili paste and pecorino cheese.
Use your hands to mix well.
Lay the turkey breasts on a cutting board so that they are open like a book, skin side down.
Pat the stuffing mixture into the middle of each breast so it covers one half of each open breast.
Fold the other half of the meat over the filling so the skin side is up.
Tie the turkey breasts with 4 pieces of cooking or butcher's twine for each breast
Mix the ground fennel, salt, oregano, onion powder and paprika and rub all over the tied turkey.

Lay 6 slices of bread on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbs of olive oil.
Place turkey breasts skin side up on the bread and drizzle the remaining 4 Tbs olive oil over the top.
Roast at 425 deg for 30 minutes
Reduce heat to 375 deg and roast another 40 minutes or until the skin is brown and crisp and an           instant read thermometer reads 160 deg
Allow the turkey to rest for 10 minutes before slicing

spicy stuffed turkey breast, sliced

Prep time 15 minutes

cook time 70 minutes

Serves 8-10 generously

This year I'm going to prep both halves, roast one and pop the other one in the freezer (freeze the bread separately)

***The Calabrian chili paste is essential.  Here are a couple of places to find it:

Williams-Sonoma, online 

Amazon

Italian specialty market or section in a good market

Thanksgiving secret:

Roast turkey, lots of herbs, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Roast your turkey on Wednesday night!
Why? Your bird is done
The drippings are collected and the gravy made
The carcass has been rendered down to make yummy stock for the stuffing and other side dishes
and best of all:
The roasting pan has already been put away and the kitchen is clean.
Try it!

stuffed turkey breast

stuffed turkey breast, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

This was new for me and I must say it is my OWN recipe. The second turkey was a stuffed breast....not so unusual but the stuffing and the coating was different and delicious:
Stuffing:
fresh figs (6), quartered
goat cheese (2" log), crumbled
walnuts (1/3 cup), roughly chopped
fresh sage leaves (4), finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
just mix together
Paint the inside of the breast with:
Raspberry Chipotle sauce
then:
Place the stuffing on one side of the open breast
Bundle the breast back up and tie with lots of kitchen twine
Place on a rack in a roasting pan and top with
Pancetta (1/2 pound), thinly sliced
Oven: 400 deg for about 20 minutes to crisp the pancetta then drop to"
375 deg until the internal temp of the meat reads 160 on the thermometer ..My 4.5 lb breast took 1.5 hours.
Let rest for about 15 minutes and then slice.
Gobble gobble!