One year, the CompostMaster and I found ourselves alone on Thanksgiving. We decided to make a variation on turkey that was a little bit different from the norm, turkey roulade. Our usual crowd wouldn’t really go for anything green rolled up inside the turkey.
Big thanks to WÜSTHOF for sponsoring this post. And for sending me amazing knives.
Our biggest challenge was locating a boneless turkey breast that was the proper size. I had hoped to find one that still had the skin on it so I could wrap the roulade in the skin. My very favorite part of Thanksgiving is sneaking little bits of crispy skin while the cooked turkey is resting. Unfortunately, the only breast I could find was both boneless and skinless. As a cook, you must be prepared to improvise.
Prepping the ingredients and slicing the roulade were a breeze with my new WÜSTHOF knives.
Turkey Roulade Rolling Techniques
Making a roulade looks impressive, but it really isn’t that difficult if you approach it with the right attitude. Take a deep breath before you start and try to enjoy the process. Having a buddy with you in the kitchen for moral support and to help when you need a third hand is a good idea. I made the mistake of sending the CompostMaster to the gym just before I was ready to tie the roulade. He’s much better at tying than I am, but I got it done. Of course, I had to spend 15 minutes looking for our kitchen twine first. We had put it in a “special” place.
You can either:
- Pound your turkey breast flat and smear the stuffing all over the meat before you roll it up
OR
- Shape the stuffing into a log and put it down the middle of the breast and then fold the “flaps” over.
It depends on whether you want your green color swirled or in one lump in the middle. Either works, so do whichever you find to be easiest.
The final result is an elegant main dish for an intimate Thanksgiving or for any other special occasion. It’s gluten-free too.
Turkey Roulade with Quinoa, Swiss Chard, and Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard stems removed and leaves chopped (about 3 cups chopped leaves)
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups water divided
- 3 ounces prosciutto finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 ounces Gruyere cheese cut into small cubes
- 3 medium scallions finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless turkey breast in one piece
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
Instructions
MAKE THE STUFFING
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add Swiss chard and 2 tablespoons water. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until chard wilts and liquid has been absorbed. Add prosciutto and mix well. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa and chard/prosciutto mixture. Add garlic, cayenne, Gruyere, scallions, basil, parsley, lemon zest, nutmeg, black pepper, and eggs. Mix well and set aside.
PREPARE THE ROULADE
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place turkey breast smooth side down on a large cutting board. Butterfly the breast, then cover with plastic wrap and pound to ¼-inch thickness (or as thin as you can get it). The closer you can get to a rectangular shape, the easier the rolling will be.
- Spread the quinoa/chard mixture to cover the turkey breast to within a 1/2 inch of the edges. Starting at the longest side, roll up the breast, packing it as tightly as you can as you go. Tie crosswise every 2 inches or so with kitchen twine, then fold in the ends and tie once lengthwise.
- Place the meat on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Rub with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and season with additional freshly ground pepper. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups water and the white wine into the bottom of the pan.
- Roast for 50 to 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Let the roulade rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: WÜSTHOF provided me with a CLASSIC Two Piece Extra Wide Chef Set and a CLASSIC 5″ Serrated Slicer for review purposes plus a second set of knives to give away. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosures page for more information.
Other Recipes
Today, members of Virtual Potluck are sharing recipes featuring the use of WÜSTHOF knives, specifically the WÜSTHOF CLASSIC Two Piece Extra Wide Chef Set and the CLASSIC 5″ Serrated Slicer. (Images courtesy of WÜSTHOF)
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To enter the giveaway: Leave a comment below and tell me how these knives would help with your holiday meal preparation.
Contest Rules: The contest will run through Sunday, November 29, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random on Monday, November 30, 2015. You must be at least 18 years of age with a U.S. mailing address to win. No purchase is necessary; void where prohibited. The winner will be notified by email and must respond within 24 hours or another winner may be selected.
Check out some of the other tasty dishes:
- Steak Fajitas with Avocado Crema from Cookistry
- Almond Gingerbread Loaf from Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
- Cranberry Salad from Miss in the Kitchen
- Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Sausage Filling from Thyme in Our Kitchen
Amazing looking Roulade! Wusthofs are great! I have 3 of them and love them…use them everyday.
Sharp knives are always helpful in the kitchen and I would use the for prepping the food and for cutting it after its cooked.
I don’t have a good set of knives so these would be perfect for chopping all the veggies for our holiday dishes.
I need a new good sharp knife to help with holiday cooking! Love the chop some veggies for my famous gumbo, but I really want to make that roulade! It is beautiful and I bet delicious!
Who can’t use new knives. Would love to win.
Our knives weren’t great to begin with, and they’re incredibly dull now, so new, sharp knives would save a lot of hassle 🙂
I personally know the struggle of dull knives in the kitchen; as shift chef at the fire station I struggle with 30 year old knives that won’t hold an edge. A new set of knives would definetely help with prep time during the holiday season when we see an increase in calls throughout the city.
With all the prep work for a special meal, these knives give the perfect knife depending on the task
Such a pretty roulade!
This looks amazing….and what a great in action knife shot!
Food Hunter – I must give credit to my husband for the shot. I was holding the knife, he snapped the photo.
This looks wonderful! If I won the knives I would actually have something sharp enough to carve the turkey!
Dhanyo – I thought you’d like a recipe using Swiss chard!
This is such a good idea! I would love to make this on Thursday. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mary Frances – Let me know if you make it. You can substitute whatever greens and grains you like.