This is a great way to serve turkey if you haven’t got the time to roast a whole bird, and haven’t an expert carver on hand. The fillet cooks in no time and carving is a breeze as there are no bones to contend with.
A 1.5kg turkey breast fillet will give you between 12 and 16 slices, depending on how thickly you carve them.
Roast Turkey Breast Fillet with Cranberries & Pistachios, Red Currant Sauce
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 turkey breast fillet, skin on, about 1.5kg
- 500ml, approx. chicken stock
- Turkey stuffing, recipe follows
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Cranberry and Pistachio Stuffing
- 100g dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup Port
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- 100g pistachios, dry roasted, chopped
- chopped fresh parsley or thyme
- grated rind of 1 orange
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper
- Red Currant Sauce
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 3/4 cup Port
- 100g red currant jelly
- 1 tbs potato flour for thickening the sauce
Instructions
The Turkey
Preheat oven to 180C
Carefully cut a pocket on the underside of the turkey breast fillet, beginning underneath the tenderloin and continuing the length of the fillet, about 2cm deep, opening the fillet out. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Spoon the cooled stuffing into the the opening you have created. You can secure the opening with skewers at this stage, while you tie the fillet at intervals with kitchen twine. Remove the skewers before roasting.
Rub the entire breast with olive oil and season with sea salt. As the turkey will only be in the oven for a relatively short time, it needs to be seared first on all sides to give it a lovely golden brown colour.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and sear the rolled breast fillet on all sides till browned. This can be done a couple of hours before final cooking.
Transfer to a rack in a roasting dish, a disposable foil dish is ideal.
Pour stock into pan. Cover well with oiled foil, and roast for 40 minutes, for a 1.5kg fillet.
There are two secrets to ensuring a beautiful moist turkey fillet
When you remove the roasting dish from the oven, wrap the entire baking dish, still covered with foil, in an old bath towel. This allows the meat juices to settle, whilst keeping the turkey warm.
Don’t carve the turkey for 30 minutes. This makes all the difference. Don't worry, it will still be beautifully hot
Cranberry Stuffing
Soak the cranberries overnight in Port.
Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, with a good pinch of salt, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until soft. Cool.
Combine the soaked cranberries, onion and garlic mix, pistachios, breadcrumbs, egg, orange rind, herbs, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
Red Currant Sauce
Bring the chicken stock to a high simmer and reduce by 1/3rd.
Add the redcurrant jelly and Port and reduce by 1/4. Season well with salt and pepper.
Now add the skimmed pan juices from the turkey roasting dish.
To thicken the sauce, dissolve a heaped tablespoon of potato flour in cold water and add to the simmering sauce. Stir well.
Notes
If you don't have time to soak the cranberries overnight, place them in a small saucepan with the Port, and bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes to plump the cranberries. Cool before using in the stuffing.
