Recipe: Turkish Roast-Turkey Breast

Turkish Roast-Turkey Breast
...with Turkish Pilaf Stuffing

Serves 6 to 8

This recipe calls for a whole turkey breast, but you can adapt it to a whole turkey following any basic roast, stuffed turkey recipe. You can prepare the Turkish Pilaf Stuffing a day in advance, and it makes enough stuffing for a large bird as well as this breast.

1 recipe prepared Turkish Pilaf Stuffing,
About 1/3 cup turkey stock or chicken stock

1 whole turkey breast (5 to 7 pounds)
2 to 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cups water

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Measure 4 cups loosely packed Turkish Pilaf Stuffing into mixing bowl. Add about 1/3 cup stock, or just enough for the rice grains to absorb the stock and loosely stick together.

3. Rinse the turkey breast under cold water and pat dry. Set the breast upside down on a rack (preferably a V-rack, which will better support the breast) in a roasting pan. Salt and pepper the underside of the breast.

4. Turn the bird over. Gently loosen the skin over the breast, slipping your fingers under the skin without detaching or tearing it. Carefully pack the moistened stuffing under the skin and inside the neck cavity, distributing it as evenly as possible.

5. Baste the top and sides of the breast with a light coating of melted butter. Add salt and pepper. Pour the water into the bottom of the pan.

6. Roast the breast, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer in the center of the breast reads 165 degrees F, about 1-3/4 hours for a 5-pound breast and 2-1/4 hours for a 7-pound breast.

7. About 15 minutes before the turkey is done, start reheating the stuffing in a casserole in the oven; or, if your oven is too small, jump start the heating process in a microwave, then finish it off in the oven while the turkey rests (see next step).

8. Remove the breast from the oven and tent with foil for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the juices to settle back into the bird. Slice and serve with Turkish Pilaf Stuffing and Circassian Walnut Gravy.

Note: Pour off and keep the flavorful water and drippings from the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate them overnight, then discard the top layer of solidifed fat. Use the remaining liquid to moisten reheated stuffing, or to thin down leftover gravy.