It’s been a long winter and I have had the glorious pleasure of becoming a mom. I spent my winter trying to figure out my new life — and that did not include kitchen experimenting and food tasting travels.
Now that life has finally begun to include a full night’s sleep and spring has sprung, I’ve decided to return to my blog duties here at the Local. (Okay, so spring has been sprung for almost a month now but I’m still trying to catch up with the rest of the world.) Please bear with me as my skills have become a little rusty and writing has now become a reason to escape mom life for a small amount of time.
During my whirlwind of a winter, I actually had some time to cook up something delicious — spinach, feta and sun-dried tomato stuffed turkey breast. It was simple, delicious and I was lucky enough to have all of the ingredients on hand.
There is a bit of knife skill involved when it comes to butterflying the meat but nothing to intimidate those who’ve just begun sharpening their knife skills. I find this technique easier to understand if explained visually. Here is a perfect example of how to butterfly and pound out a chicken breast from Good Housekeeping. The same technique can be used on a turkey breast for the recipe I am going to share with you. If this is your first time butterflying a piece of meat, I encourage you to take your time and use the pounding technique to compensate for any imperfections.
Spinach, Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Roulade
Ingredients
3 lb. turkey breast
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butterfly the turkey breast and pound out until it is less than a half an inch thick and as even in thickness as possible.
• Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the chicken stock/water, in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are combined but still a little chunky, like a pesto. Spread the mixture onto one side of the butterflied turkey breast. Roll the turkey breast into a log. If one side is thinner than the other start with that side, keeping the thicker end on the outside. Secure with toothpicks. Some of the stuffing might come out, but this is okay.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or oven safe frying pan on medium heat. Once heated add a tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the outside of the turkey roulade until golden brown. Once all sides are seared add the chicken stock or water to the skillet then place the skillet with the roulade directly into the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 45-55 minutes or until the center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Remove any toothpicks used for securing, slice into rounds and serve with pan drippings.
