2023. ROASTED TURKEY BALLOTTINE wrapped in BACON

12-pound fresh turkey, divided; legs reserved for braised recipe (Ask your butcher to remove and bone the breasts, and bone the legs)
2½ ounces diced white bread (about 2 cups)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon quatre épices (or substitute pumpkin spice and a bit of black pepper)
1 pound raw pork sausage meat, without casing
Liver and giblets, coarsely chopped
Salt and white pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 pounds thinly sliced bacon
6 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the bread in the milk for 15 minutes; strain. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with the soaked bread, parsley, rosemary, quatre épices, sausage, liver, giblets, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Knead to combine. On a flat surface, arrange a 2-foot-long double layer of plastic wrap. Place half of pork mixture in a horizontal line, about 12 inches long, in the center of the plastic wrap. Lift the plastic wrap up and over the sausage, then roll while tucking under and twisting at the ends, making a tight log about 1¾ inches in diameter. Repeat with the other half of the sausage stuffing. Place the sausage rolls in the freezer to chill quickly. Meanwhile, if you have a whole turkey, remove the breasts and discard the skin. Butterfly the thicker end of the breasts, folding over toward the thinner end to form a shape as close to a rectangle as possible. Cover one breast with plastic wrap, and, using a meat mallet, pound the meat to about ½ inch thick, 1 foot long, and 8 inches wide; repeat with other breast. Season the surface of the breasts with a sprinkling of salt and white pepper. Remove the plastic wrap from a sausage log, and place the log in the center of the flattened breast. Shape the breast around the sausage. Arrange the bacon in overlapping slices in vertical rows, on a 12-inch board, making a 12-inch-long-by-9-inch-wide rectangle. Place the turkey roulade in the center of the bacon, and wrap up and around to fully encase the breast. Repeat with second breast. Lay a 2-foot-long piece of heavy aluminum foil on a flat surface, and spread half of the butter evenly on top. Place turkey roulade in the center, then roll the foil around the roulade as tightly as possible, twisting at the ends. Tie with butcher’s twine to secure. Repeat with other turkey roulade. Place both logs on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, turning the logs ¼-turn every 10 minutes. Remove foil, and baste roulades with the pan juices; return to oven and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until the bacon has cooked and the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Cut the roulade into ½-inch slices. Serve hot.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Daniel Boulud, for New York Magazine, 2009

2006. BACON-WRAPPED STUFFED TURKEY BALLOTINE with GARLIC and SAFFRON MASHED POTATOES, CRAB APPLE JELLY GRAVY and ROASTED GREEN BEANS

serves 4-6


For the turkey ballotine
3lb 4 oz. large turkey breast crown (bones removed, skin left on)
12 rashers streaky bacon, skin removed and stretched thin with the edge of a knife
14 oz. minced veal shoulder
1 chicken liver, chopped
1½ oz. unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cornflour
5fl oz. milk
2 free-range egg whites, beaten
1½ oz. pistachio nuts, shells removed, halved
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 small green pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the creamed garlic and saffron mashed potatoes
2lb 4 oz. floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or King Edward, peeled and quartered
3fl oz. single cream
1 pinch saffron strands, crushed
2 oz. unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crab apple jelly gravy
reserved juices from the turkey ballotine (see above)
1 tablespoon ready-made crab apple jelly
1 oz. butter

For the roasted green beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, zest only
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 lb 2oz fine green beans, topped and tailed

For the turkey ballotine: Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Lay the bacon out in strips on a sheet of cling film, with the edges overlapping slightly so there are no gaps between each rasher. Slice the turkey breast crown in half horizontally (but do not slice it all the way through) and open it out like a book. Lay the turkey meat over the bacon layer, cover the top with cling film and beat with a rolling pin or meat mallet until thin. Set aside. Place the minced veal shoulder in a food processor, add the chopped chicken liver and blend until very smooth. Scrape into a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the cornflour until well combined and there are no lumps. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until thickened to form a roux. Set aside to cool for five minutes. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the minced veal and chicken livers and mix well to combine. Fold in the beaten egg whites, halved pistachio nuts, sea salt, ground white pepper, chopped green pepper, nutmeg and sage leaves. Mix well to combine. Peel away the cling film from the top of the turkey and spread the mixture in a thick line along the length of the turkey at one end. Using the cling film as a guide, fold the bacon and turkey over the stuffing and roll up tightly. Remove the cling film and then wrap the turkey roll tightly in two layers of aluminium foil. Drizzle the olive oil over the base of a roasting tin, add the wrapped turkey ballotine, cover the tin with foil and roast in the oven for 1½-2 hours.

For the creamed garlic and saffron mashed potatoes: Place the potatoes into a pan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Heat the cream and saffron into a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to infuse. Melt the butter in a pan and add the crushed garlic. Gently fry over a low heat for 3-4 minutes (do not allow the garlic to brown). Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan over a high heat to drive off any excess moisture. Mash with a potato masher, then mix in the saffron-infused cream and garlic butter. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the turkey is cooked, remove the foil and pour off the juices from the roasting tin into a small pan. Preheat the grill to high. Place the ballotine under the grill for 8-10 minutes, turning regularly, until the ballotine is golden-brown all over. Set aside to rest in a warm place.

For the crab apple jelly gravy: Reduce the juices from the turkey ballotine over a high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until reduced and thickened. Stir in the crab apple jelly and butter until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Keep warm.

For the roasted beans: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the lemon zest. Allow to sizzle for about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir in the herbs and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Place the green beans into a roasting tray and drizzle over the lemon-infused oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss well to coat the green beans evenly in the oil. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and starting to turn golden-brown.

To serve: Reheat the turkey ballotine in the oven briefly if needed, then carve into thick slices. Spoon the mashed potato onto the centre of the serving plates, then top with a slice or two of the turkey ballotine. Scatter the roasted green beans around the edges of the plate, then spoon the gravy over and around.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hairy Bikers, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain, BBC-Food