Confused Tom

Roasted Turkey Breast

Poor Tom Turkey was confused this past weekend.  With all the cold weather lately, who can really blame him?  But the poor bird arrived in our home this holiday weekend instead of Miss Piggy.  We didn’t want to embarrass the befuddled bird, so we smiled, thanked him for coming and made him instead.  Well…his breast really.  I’m sure the rest of him went to great use.  Ever have a smoked turkey leg?  We did at Christmas Candylane one year…YUM!  Yes, I’m sure the legs went to a great cause such as that!  But we only had the breast, so we roasted it and were wowed with the results!  What a happy outcome to the poor fowl’s confusion!  Here is what we did:

Ingredients:
5 ½ Pound turkey breast (if yours is larger, just increase the butter mixture a little)

3 Tablespoons butter, softened (I use unsalted)

7 – 10 Sprigs fresh thyme

2 Cloves garlic, minced

4 Tablespoons Dijon, divided

2 Tablespoons lemon juice, divided

1 Onion, quartered

3 Ribs celery, cut into large sticks

1 ½ Cups chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Step 1

The first step is super easy - preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  See?  How easy was that?  It will get a little more involved now…but will still be easy!

Step 2

We need to prepare the butter mixture that will be spread under the skin.  Begin by putting the softened butter into a bowl.  Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and add them to the bowl.  Mince the garlic and add that too.  Finally, add 2 tablespoons of Dijon, 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and a nice amount of salt and pepper.  Mix to combine.

Step 3

Now the skin of the breast needs to be separated from the flesh.  This is where my husband comes in because I have freakishly large hands!  He just works his hands between the skin and the flesh until there is a nice, large cavity over the breast meat.  Then spread the butter mixture on the breast meat, but under that skin.  This ensures flavorful meat!  If you just spread the mixture on top of the skin, the skin will taste delicious, but the meat will not be seasoned or flavored.

Step 4

Quarter the onion and chop the celery into large sticks.  Place the turkey into a roasting pan, breast meat up.  I used the onion quarters and celery to help keep it securely upright.  Then pour the broth, remaining Dijon (2 Tbsp.) and lemon juice (1 Tbsp.) into the pan, around the turkey.  Whisk them to combine, briefly.  Add a nice sprinkling of salt and pepper to the top of the skin.  Then place the bird in the oven.

Step 5

We roasted it for 1 ¼ hours.  Then, I turned the heat up to 350 degrees for 15 minutes, just get the skin a little more browned.  Make sure you check the meat temperature before you removed it from the oven.  I look for 160 degrees because it will get to the desired 165 while it’s resting, covered in foil, for 15 minutes.  I find if I roast it to 165 and then remove it, the turkey is dry.

Step 6

After the turkey has roasted, it’s time to carve!  Make the horizontal and vertical cuts on each side of the breast bone, to remove both breasts from the bird.  Then slice it against the grain.  I don’t know why, but it stays more juicy and tender when sliced against, instead of with, the grain.  Serve the turkey with some of the pan juices spooned on top of the meat.

Enjoy!

Gastronome's Note:  I have a nonstick roasting pan, so it cleaned easily.  If yours is not nonstick, you may want to line the roasting pan with aluminum foil for easier clean up.