recipes

Porchetta-Style Boned & Rolled Roast Turkey Breast with Sage Butter

February 12

This Porchetta-Style Boned & Rolled Turkey Breast, think of it as everything good about roast turkey, but compact and full of flavour. The trick is all in the prep — scoring and seasoning the meat properly, then letting it chill uncovered in the fridge for at least six hours. The herby butter with fennel and chilli gives you all the flavour of an Italian-style roast without overpowering the turkey.

Serves 4
1 hour 20 mins

Method

1. Lay the turkey breast skin-side down on a board and butterfly until even in thickness throughout. Score the meat lightly and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, lemon zest and olive oil into a mini blender and blitz for about 30 seconds to break down then add the butter and blitz again to combine. Place the sage leaves over the scored meat - you don’t need to cover it completely - then spread the herby butter evenly over the sage leaves and turkey meat.
3. Carefully roll the turkey breast tightly to form a log with the skin-side facing out then use kitchen string to tie everything together into a log shape.
4. Transfer the turkey to a wire rack and place the rack into a roasting tin. Cover loosely with tin foil then place into the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight if possible.
5. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas Mark 5
6. Lightly oil the skin of the meat and sprinkle with a little salt then roast for 60–75 minutes, or until the meat reaches 73°C when tested with a meat thermometer.
7. Let the meat rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10–15 minutes.
8. To make the gravy, strain the roasting tin juices into a small bowl.
9. Place the butter into a saucepan and let it melt. Add the flour and stir for a few minutes to remove the raw taste from the flour. Now, gradually add the chicken stock, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Cook until thickened then add the pan juices to create a lovely pouring consistency for the gravy - if you don’t have enough of the pan juices you can just use more chicken stock. Cook for a few more minutes then stir through the mustard and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Slice the turkey into thick rounds and serve with the gravy. Great with roast potatoes and some greens.

2.6–3.3 lb boneless turkey breast, skin on

2–3 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½ tsp chili flakes

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

3½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened

20–30 sage leaves, depending on size

For the Gravy

3½ tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1¼ cups good quality chicken stock

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.2–1.5 kg boneless turkey breast, skin on

2–3 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½ tsp chilli flakes

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

50g unsalted butter, softened

20 – 30 sage leaves, depending on size

For the gravy:

50g unsalted butter

25g plain flour

300ml good quality chicken stock