Chestnut and sausage stuffed turkey breast

By Jason Skrobar

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Ingredients

1 boneless turkey breast
1 recipe worth Chestnut & Sausage Stuffing (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Stuffing:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
Kosher salt and pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
5 pork sausages, casings removed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
12 cups sourdough, cut into bite sized pieces and dried overnight
1 cup chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped (*see note on how to roast chestnuts)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons chestnut purée
2 eggs

Directions

Begin by making the stuffing. To a large pot or dutch oven add olive oil and butter. Turn heat to medium-high and allow butter to melt. Add onions, carrots and celery to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables for about six to seven minutes, or until the onions become translucent. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another one to two minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and add the sausage meat. Cook the meat for six to seven minutes, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon as you go. Once the sausage meat has browned, add the sautéd vegetables back in, along with the freshly chopped herbs, the sourdough and chestnuts. Mix well and remove from heat.
Whisk together the chicken stock, heavy cream, chestnut purée and eggs, making sure the chestnut purée has completely dissolved. Pour this over the stuffing and mix well to combine.
Pre-heat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Now that the stuffing is made, you can move on to the turkey.
First you’ll want to butterfly the turkey breast. Begin by placing the turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, start the cut on the thick long side of the breast, gently cutting almost all the way through. Once you’ve cut the breast almost in half you’re done. Open the breast up like you were opening a book to reveal one large piece.
Cover the butterflied breast with plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet, pound the meat until it’s even and flat.
Now you’re ready to stuff. Take two cups of the stuffing** and lay an even layer over the turkey breast. Roll the long side of the breast into a log. Using butcher twine, tie four pieces around the breast to secure it.
Mix the room temperature butter with the fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Spread the butter mixture evenly all over the turkey breast.
Transfer the turkey to the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for one hour, or when a meat thermometer registers 165°F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes before slicing.
* To roast the chestnuts, pre-heat the oven to 425°. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut an ‘x’ on the flat side of the chestnut. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Once out of the oven, let them cool for a ten minutes. Once cooled, you can begin to peel away the skin from the nut.
** To bake the remaining stuffing, pre-heat the oven to 350° and butter a medium sized baking dish. Add remaining stuffing to the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown.