Turkey Breast Roulade With Garlic and Rosemary

Published November 17, 2020

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Total Time
3 hours
Rating
4(1,139)
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Ina Garten has been known as the Barefoot Contessa since she opened a gourmet store by that name in East Hampton, N.Y., in 1985. She shared this recipe from her book “Modern Comfort Food” with The Times for Thanksgiving in 2020, when many cooks were looking for alternatives to whole turkey. If you don’t like fennel seeds, leave them out: Garlic, sage and rosemary give this roast the flavors of Italian porchetta, and it will still be fragrant, juicy and delicious without them. Julia Moskin

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings
  • 4 tablespoons good-quality olive oil

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)

  • ¾ teaspoon whole fennel seeds

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, plus 4 whole sage leaves

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

  • 1 whole butterflied boneless, skin-on turkey breast (about 4 to 5 pounds)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter (½ stick)

  • 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

  • 1 cup dry white wine, such as Chablis

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

14 grams carbs; 108 milligrams cholesterol; 363 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 2204 milligrams sodium; 39 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel seeds and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the chopped sage and the rosemary; set aside to cool.

  3. Step 3

    Set the turkey breast on a cutting board and open it up, skin side down. If necessary, pound the turkey to an even thickness of about 1 inch. Sprinkle the turkey with 4 teaspoons salt and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Once the onion mixture has cooled, spread it evenly on the meat. Grate the butter and sprinkle it on top. Arrange the prosciutto on top to totally cover the filling and meat.

  4. Step 4

    Starting at one long end of the turkey breast, roll the meat up jelly-roll style to make a compact cylindrical roulade, ending with the seam side down. Tie the roulade tightly with kitchen twine at 2 to 2 ½-inch intervals to ensure that it will roast evenly. Slip the whole sage leaves under the twine down the center of the roulade.

  5. Step 5

    Place the roulade, seam side down, in a roasting pan and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Brush the skin with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour the wine and 1 cup water into the roasting pan, surrounding the turkey with the liquids without pouring them directly over the roulade. Roast for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours, until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature is 150 degrees.

  6. Step 6

    Remove from the oven, cover the turkey with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the string, slice the roulade crosswise in ½-inch-thick slices, and serve warm with the pan juices.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,139 user ratings
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Comments

Two tips for this or any turkey breast roulade: - Butterfly or pound out and salt generously 1-2 days ahead (dry brine) - Before filling, remove the skin in one piece, then fill and roll and re-cover with the skin and tie. This way it’s all crispy skin on the outside and no soft flabby skin rolled up inside.

Genius tip on the skin! Doing it.

I am going to try this, but will be adding a bunch of fresh spinach to the filling. It's what I have done in the past for veal and pork and it's just a great combo with these flavors.

This looked great but tasted just alright. I've made similar recipes in the past that had brighter and more complex flavors in the stuffing. In this recipe, most of the flavor came from the prosciutto. It wasn't bad overall but I've had better.

I didn’t salt the inside. The prosciutto, salted butter, salting the outside and the pan just is plenty of sodium. Not to mention all the sides!

Two tips for this or any turkey breast roulade: - Butterfly and pound out to equal thinness, and salt generously 1-2 days ahead (dry brine) - Before filling, remove the skin in one piece, then fill and roll and re-cover with the skin and tie. This way it’s all crispy skin on the outside and no soft flabby skin rolled up inside.

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Credits

Adapted from “Modern Comfort Food” by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, 2020)

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