Turkey Breast with Spinach and Tarragon Stuffing
Photography by Aaron McLean.
A boned turkey breast makes for easy carving and serving. Wrapped around a simple, colourful stuffing, the meat is both juicy and tender.
Serves: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1 single boneless turkey breast, skin off, about 1 kilogram
10-12 rashers streaky bacon
melted butter
kitchen string
Stuffing
2 handfuls of spinach, well washed
2 plain, pure chicken sausages
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 large red capsicum, roasted, peeled, thickly sliced
To serve
cooked asparagus
watercress and lemon wedges to garnish
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C.
Stuffing: Heat a little butter or olive oil in a sauté pan and add the spinach. Turn with tongs until wilted then transfer to a sieve to drain. Press to extract excess moisture. Cool.
Remove the sausages from their skins and place in a food processor with the spinach, garlic, lemon zest and tarragon. Season and pulse to make a paste.
Turkey: Slice the turkey along its length to open out flat like a book, but keeping it in one piece.
Place the turkey between two layers of plastic wrap and using a rolling pin, pound the meat to an even thickness and roughly 30 cm x 25 cm in size.
Lay the bacon rashers side by side on a piece of baking paper. Place the turkey on top and season.
Spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey and lay the capsicum strips in two lines, horizontally, two thirds of the way down.
Using the baking paper as a guide, fold the breast in half. Secure the bacon at intervals with kitchen string.
Place on a lined baking tray and brush the bacon with melted butter. Roast for 35 minutes, or until the juices run clear when tested with a skewer. Cooking time will depend on how thick the meat is. Remove from the oven, cover loosely and rest for 15 minutes.
To serve: Remove the string and carve into 1 cm thick slices. Lay the asparagus on a serving platter and arrange the turkey on top. Garnish with watercress and lemon wedges.
Christmas menu: Serve with Prawns in Bacon with Mango and Avocado Salad, Peppered Eye Fillet with Pecorino and Herb Dressing, a Summer Salad with Lemon Dressing, Roast Potatoes with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives and Rasperry, White Nectarine, Lemon Curd and Limoncello Parfaits to finish.
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