Roast Turkey Breast with Savoury Sage and Onion Stuffing

Ingredients

Savoury Sage and Onion Stuffing

• 250 g blanched almonds or 250 g bread torn in 3-5 cm pieces
• 12-16 fresh sage leaves
• 1 level tsp fine sea salt
• 2 level tsp black peppercorns
• 450 g minced pork (ground pork), preferably free range, hormone and antibiotic free
• 300 g onions, quartered
• 50 g pork dripping (lard) or olive oil

Stuffing and Roasting

• 1.8-2.2 kg whole boneless turkey breast with skin
• 450 g bacon rashers/slices
• 400 g turkey stock, chicken stock or water

Method

Savoury Sage and Onion Stuffing

1. Crumb almonds (or bread) with sage leaves, sea salt and peppercorns 10 sec/speed 10 or until fine, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Place another bowl on TM lid and weigh pork into it – if mincing your own pork, this is the time to do it – see 1st tip; set minced pork aside.
3. Chop onions and dripping 7 sec/speed 4½, then sauté 8 min/Varoma/speed spoon. Remove TM bowl from Thermomix, remove lid and allow TM bowl with sautéed onions to cool 20 minutes or longer until temperature is 45°C or less – you can check the temperature by putting the TM bowl back on your Thermomix.
4. Add minced pork followed by reserved crumbs, then while stirring with TM spatula through hole in mixing bowl lid knead 18-20 sec/dough setting or longer (5 sec at a time) until well mixed but still loose in texture.

Stuffing and roasting the turkey breast

1. Half an hour before before roasting, remove turkey breast from fridge, cut turkey breast in half horizontally, place stuffing on bottom half, cover with other half of breast, skin side up, then tie with butcher’s string at regular intervals but only JUST tightly enough to hold it together without compressing the stuffing; meanwhile preheat oven to 200°C without fan/180°C with fan/400°F/gas 5/Aga roasting oven.
2. Place stuffed turkey breast in a roasting pan, cover with bacon rashers, add stock to pan, then roast 45 minutes in preheated oven (35 minutes in Aga roasting oven).
3. Carefully remove bacon slices and return turkey to oven for 30 minutes to brown the skin.
4. Transfer roasted stuffed turkey breast to a warm platter, cover with foil, wrap two folded beach towels over and around it to enclose foil-wrapped turkey and platter completely, then leave to rest 1-2 hours (a wonderful Gordon Ramsay tip to increase tenderness) while you finish cooking everything else.
5. Slice and serve with your family’s traditional accompaniments.

Janie’s Tips

1. To mince your own pork, cut 450 g pork meat including its fat into 3 cm pieces, arrange in a single layer on a plate or baking tray and freeze for 30 minutes or until half frozen. Chop 230 g of the half frozen pork pieces 3 sec/speed 6 or longer until minced (it is very quick so mince again 1 sec/speed 6 at a time if needed), transfer to a bowl, then repeat with remainder of the half frozen pork pieces.
2. Stuff the turkey breast immediately before roasting – if stuffing has been made one day ahead, remove from fridge ½ hour before using.
3. Stuffing can be made 1 day ahead and kept in fridge, or up to 3 weeks ahead if frozen. Transfer frozen stuffing to fridge two days before day of use to defrost completely, remove from fridge ½ hour before using.
4. For gluten free (GF) use almonds or gluten free bread in stuffing – read ingredient labels to ensure all your other ingredients are gluten free as well if gluten free is required.
5. This recipe is dairy free (DF) – read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are dairy free if dairy free is required.