Recipes

Donal Skehan: Jewelled pot roast Moroccan turkey breast

The finished

Donal Skehan
Fri Dec 16 2016 - 12:01
Serves: 8
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
  • Serves 6-8
  • For the turkey:
  • 2kg turkey breast, skin on
  • 50g of butter
  • 1 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 8 figs, halved
  • 2-3 tbsp honey
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • For the stuffing:
  • 50g dried apricots, finely sliced
  • 50g sultanas
  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 200g breadcrumbs
  • Seeds of half a pomegranate (reserve the seeds from the other half to garnish)
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • A large handful chopped fresh coriander (reserve a little to garnish)
  • For the gravy:
  • 250ml dry white wine
  • 250ml of chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp of plain flour

Not the traditional roast bird for the big day, but the perfect recipe for those of you who would prefer to break from tradition. Subtly spiced with a ras el hanout butter and stuffed with a bejewelled stuffing, this turkey breast is rolled for easy serving. The only tricky part with a rolled turkey breast is the butterflying process, but most butchers will do this for you if you ask.

To make the stuffing, place the apricots and sultanas in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Add in the onions and fry gently for six minutes until completely softened. Place the rest of the stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl and add the cooked onions. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and mix until completely combined. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/Gas 6. Butterfly the turkey breast or ask your butcher to do it for you. Lay it flat on a chopping board and pile on the stuffing down the centre. Carefully, tightly roll it up and then using kitchen string, tie it in two-inch intervals. Place the stuffed and tied breast in a large oval heavy-based pot with a lid. Rub all over with soft butter and season with ras el hanout, sea salt and ground black pepper.

Cover with a lid and roast the turkey breast in the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or 40 minutes per kg). Check that it is cooked by inserting a metal skewer to the centre to see that the skewer is very hot and the juices run clear when it is removed. Baste regularly throughout the cooking time.

About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and add the figs around the turkey breast and drizzle all over the turkey and the figs with honey.

Remove from the oven, transfer the breast and figs to a chopping board and allow to rest under tin foil while you prepare the gravy.

Place the pot over a medium heat and whisk in the white wine to deglaze the bottom. Add in the chicken stock and reduce by half.

If you want a thicker sauce, add three tablespoons of the gravy liquid to a small bowl and whisk together with 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Season with a little honey and some extra ras el hanout to taste.

When you have a smooth mixture, whisk this back into the gravy and bubble away until it reduces to the desired thickness. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Carefully remove the string from the cooked turkey and then carve in generous slices. Serve with the warm gravy, a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, coriander and the Christmas sides of your choice.

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