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Stuffed turkey breast with bread sauce

Stuffed turkey with a difference – served with a festive-spiced bread sauce

Preparation time
over 2 hours

Cooking time
1 to 2 hours

Serves
Serves 8

By Hasan Semay
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the turkey brine

  • 130g/4¾oz caster sugar
  • 100g/3½oz salt

For the stuffed turkey breast

  • 1 turkey breast (around 1–1.5kg/2lb 4oz–3lb 5oz), skin on
  • 15–20 strips streaky bacon
  • 2 tbsp apricot preserve
  • cranberry sauce, to serve

For the stuffing

  • 500g/1lb 2oz sausagemeat
  • 5 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
  • 75g/2¾oz dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • 70g/2½oz pistachios, crushed
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp caster sugar

For the bread sauce

  • 800ml/1½ pints full-fat milk, plus 100ml/3½fl oz to finish
  • ½ onion, peeled and left whole
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • ½ nutmeg, grated
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • pinch caster sugar
  • 400g/14oz stale sourdough bread
  • 25g/1oz unsalted butter
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. To make the turkey brine, put the sugar and salt in a large saucepan along with 2 litres/3½ pints water. Bring to the boil, then allow to cool. Place the turkey breast in the cold brine and leave in there for a minimum of 6 hours.

  2. To make the stuffing, preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. In a bowl, mix together all the stuffing ingredients.

  3. Remove the turkey from the brine, pat dry. Use a sharp knife to make a deep pocket inside the breast. To do this, push the point of a knife into the fat end, keep going halfway into the fillet, be careful not to cut all the way through. Add the stuffing to the pocket.

  4. Wrap the turkey in the streaky bacon then truss and tie the turkey breast, so the bacon is secured in place.

  5. Place on a baking tray and cook for 45 minutes, then turn the oven up to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and cook for a further 15 minutes.

  6. Meanwhile, warm the apricot preserve with 2 tablespoons of water over a medium heat.

  7. Remove the turkey from the oven after the initial 45 minutes, glaze with the apricot preserve then return to the oven for the last 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

  8. To make the bread sauce, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the 800ml/1½ pint milk, onion, sage, bay, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, cloves, star anise and caster sugar. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat off and let the mix sit for 20 minutes.

  9. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan, then bring up to the boil, drop in the bread and break down with a whisk. The milk should be abbsorbed by the bread and create a creamy texture. To finish the sauce, add the butter and remaining 100ml/3½fl oz milk, then season with salt and pepper.

  10. Serve slices of the turkey with the bread sauce and cranberry sauce.

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