Looking to serve something different at your Thanksgiving dinner? Look no further than this delicious recipe! It’s full of flavor, presents beautifully, and can be prepped completely ahead of time.
Welcome to Thanksgiving week! All week (and next) will be all about the big turkey day. Last year I went pretty traditional and shared a basic turkey and all of the fixings. So that means this year is going to be a fun twist on tradition!
To kick off Thanksgiving week I have to start out with the turkey. This recipe is extra special because it’s great for a small-medium crowd and it’s SO fancy looking. If you’re looking to impress your guests then this recipe is for you!
A roulade is just a fancy name for a stuffed and rolled up piece of meat. You can make a roulade with chicken, beef, pork, and of course – turkey!
I must admit that after making this I would take this over a regular roasted turkey any day. It’s just that good. I ate leftover turkey for 5 days straight – no other way than just heated up with gravy! That’s how you know it’s good.
Now this process does look a little little intimidating, but don’t worry its really not that bad. It does require a little skill if you plan on butterflying the turkey breasts yourself. However, if you have a local butcher you can have it done for you! Luckily I have my own butcher on call whenever I need… Kyle!
**If you are going to do it yourself, check out the link to a how-to video at the bottom of the recipe.
Once you have your turkey breast butterflied and pounded out you can stuff it. You can use your favorite stuffing here, but I chose to make a bread-free (which means gluten-free!) sausage and apple stuffing. YUM.
All I did was sauté Italian sausage, onions, celery, carrots, and apples together. Easy! Lay it out onto the turkey and then get rolling.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. As you can see mine isn’t! Just make sure you use some butcher’s twine to tie it together so that it holds its shape. At this point, I place the turkey on a rack (or celery stalks) and then fill the pan with chicken broth. Any leftover stuffing goes in as well – it flavors the gravy beautifully!
Once it’s cooked through, let it rest while you make the gravy. Slice it into ½-inch thick slices and serve! I served it with perfect mashed potatoes and a parmesan veggie toss – both recipes coming up!
The leftovers are fantastic – they didn’t dry out and reheated very well. However, you can use them for sandwiches, soups, turkey potpie, or whatever your favorite way is to eat the leftovers!
The recipe is for two roulades, but you can easily halve it if you only need one. I did one for this post, but plan on making two for Thanksgiving. Two roulades will serve 6-8 people with leftovers.
I should also mention that these could be prepped up to 2 days ahead of time – that’s the best part! The morning of the big meal, take the roulades out of the fridge and let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pop them in the preheated oven about 2 hours before you’re ready to serve. No more waking up at 4am to get that turkey in the oven!
Impress your guests this year and make my turkey roulade – everyone will love it!
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 (Links or Patties) Italian Sausage, if using links remove the casing
- 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
- 1 Large Granny Smith Apple, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Large Carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Large Stalk Celery, peeled and finely chopped
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Sage, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme, finely minced
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Rosemary, finely minced
- 2 (3-5 lb.) Turkey Breast Halves, butterflied and pounded to an inch thickness*
- Butcher Twine, for tying the roulades
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Preheat the oven to 500º.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sausage, onion, apple, carrot, and celery. Cook the sausage mixture for 10-12 minutes or until deep golden brown in color. Season the stuffing lightly with salt and pepper and stir in the herbs; set aside to cool.
- Split the stuffing mixture up equally between the two butterflied turkey breasts, leaving a half-inch border around the turkey. You may not use all of the stuffing.
- Roll up the turkey breasts starting at the long edge, being careful to roll it as tightly as possible. Using the butcher’s twine, tie up each turkey roulade every inch or so to hold together. Place the roulades onto a rack inside of a roasting pan being sure they don’t touch.
- Rub each turkey roulade with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the chicken broth into the roasting pan and add and leftover stuff (or any that fell out) into the broth – this will give the gravy great flavor.
- Roast the turkeys at 500º for 15 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature down to 375º and roast for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature registers to 155º. Remove from the oven; transfer the turkey to a platter and cover with foil. Let rest to allow the temperature to rise to 165º while you make the gravy.
- Strain the stock/drippings into a large glass measuring cup and let sit for a few minute to let the fat rise to the top. Skim off as much of the fat as you can and then pour the stock into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch into a small bowl and whisk in about ¼ cup of the hot stock. Add the mixture back to the pot and whisk vigorously until well combined. Cook the gravy for a few minutes until thick (if you want a thicker gravy, use more cornstarch). Whisk in the butter and keep the gravy warm until you’re ready to serve.
- Remove the twine from the turkey roulades and slice crosswise into slices. Serve the turkey with the warm gravy.
- *You can buy butterflied turkey breasts from a butcher, or butterfly them yourself. This video is very helpful on how to butterfly a turkey breast if you choose to do it yourself.
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