Bon Appétit (November 2015)
After seeing this trend pop up in a few magazines, we knew a porchetta-style turkey would make it on our Fakesgiving menu.
And really, we need a reason to be excited about turkey.
For us, turkey is a necessary-but-not-entirely-exciting feature at Thanksgiving. So we tend to go for gimmicks: 14 pounds cooked in two hours! Or in this case, we go for turkey tarted up like pork.
And this rolled turkey breast doesn't just have pork on the outside. There's pork inside, too.
Yes. Please.
This isn't mentioned in the magazine, but it seems that Bon Appétit considered calling this dish "Turketta" (it's the name of the URL on the website, plus mentioned in the tags.) We're totes on board for that name. Turketta '15!
This biggest challenge here is sourcing the turkey breast. The recipe calls for a "whole skin-on, bone-in turkey breast, bones removed."
Do not -- repeat, do not -- go out and purchase a bone-in turkey breast and attempt to remove the bones, unless you have some super secret Ninja butcher skills. Sure, you might get the bones out. But your goal is to end up with a turkey breast that can be stuffed, rolled and tied. We talked to a butcher at Whole Foods, who got us exactly what we needed for this recipe.
The paste that goes inside the turkey breast is where this recipe really started to get us excited. Crisped pancetta mixed with garlic and herbs? Our mouths are watering just thinking about it. The paste is smeared across the breast, and then the meat is rolled and tied. Word of warning: Perhaps it's our lack of coordination, but we needed two people in order to roll and tie the turkey. The good news is that this can be done the day prior to your meal.
Once rolled, the turkey is roasted briefly, then draped with bacon and finished in the oven. It's a total of 90 minutes of roasting, plus another 40 minutes for resting. Budget your time accordingly!
This may all sound like a lot of work -- it is, we guess -- but it's incredibly worth it. The finished turkey breast is moist and flavorful (thanks, bacon!). The crispy bacon exterior is, well, crispy bacon. How can that be bad?
This dish is a reason to be excited about turkey again.
This one deserves a place at Thanksgiving.
Porchetta-Style Roast Turkey Breast
Bon Appétit (November 2015), recipe by Claire Saffitz
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(this photo: Christopher Testani/Bon Appétit)
SERVINGS: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
4 garlic cloves
3 sage leaves
½ cup parsley leaves
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 whole skin-on, bone-in turkey breast, bones removed
12 slices bacon
Special Equipment:
A spice mill or a mortar and pestle
DIRECTIONS
Grind fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle until very fine. Toss spice mixture and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat oil in a small skillet over medium. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until brown and crisp, 5–8 minutes. Let cool. Transfer pancetta and fat in skillet to a food processor, add garlic, and process to a smooth paste. Add sage, parsley, chives, rosemary, and lemon zest and process until smooth; set paste aside.
Pat turkey breast dry and place skin side down on a large rimmed baking sheet so thickest part of breast is closest to you. Run your fingers underneath fillets lengthwise to detach. Using a thin, sharp blade, position knife about 3" from neck end and cut downward at a 45° angle into the thickest part of the breast (do not cut all the way through; you’re butterflying only the top portion). Open top flap you’ve just created like a book. Fold fillets in half and place in the top and bottom gaps between the breasts so tapered ends are facing in. The idea is to create a layer of meat of uniform thickness across the entire breast.
Sprinkle reserved spice mixture all over turkey flesh; rub into crevices. Rub paste all over flesh of turkey to coat evenly, working into crevices. Roll up turkey breast left to right like a jelly roll to form a log; position seam side down and tuck skin under at each end. Starting at center, tie with kitchen twine at even intervals (apply some pressure with string so turkey holds a nice round shape, but don’t tie too tightly or it will bulge when cooked).
Let rolled turkey sit 2 hours to bring to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325°. Roast turkey on baking sheet until skin is golden and starting to crisp, 40–45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove strings with kitchen shears. Drape with bacon slices, overlapping; tuck ends underneath turkey to secure. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140°, 30–40 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 400° and cook until bacon is browned and crisp and thermometer registers 150°, 5–10 minutes longer. Transfer to a platter and let rest at least 40 minutes before slicing. Serve with pan juices.
Do Ahead: Turkey breast can be rolled 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered on a rimmed baking sheet.
