Yesterday was Thanksgiving in Canada and it’s a holiday to celebrate/give thanks to the harvest. Turkey is traditionally served and many people of varying ethnicities will also prepare a dish from their homeland. It’s a holiday everyone can embrace.
I bought a whole turkey (frozen) a couple of weeks ago at a good price and I was going to roast it whole but then I saw a “crown roast”. It’s the two breasts (attached) and usually stuffed and a few supermarkets sell a prepared product where one simply has to roast it.
I was took the ‘make my own’ route – removed the skin from the entire turkey then seprated the wings, legs, back from the breasts then I patiently removed the breast bone. I now had my own crown roast.
I went with my own stuffing recipe, placed the skin on my work surface, placed the crown on the skin, seasonsed the inside, place the filling in the middle then rolled and tied up the crown roast.
Why would one bother/fuss with a crown roast? A whole turkey may be too much if you have a smaller gathering and the crown roast is plenty but not too much leftovers.
The second reason to go with a crown roast is you can do most the work ahead of time. All I had to do on Thanksgiving was roast, rest, carve and serve. I had a much more leisurely Thanksgiving because of this prep.
This method of roasting turkey is more of a challenge but I can do so much work prior to Thanksgiving Day:
Roast carcass, wings, neck, back and then throw in a stock pot. Then I can make gravy ahead of time and a soup.
To make your tasks easier, you’ll need a flexible boning knife, butcher’s twine, wire rack that fits on a baking sheet + baking sheet, wireless meat thermometer.
The extra work ahead of time will be rewarded with an easier, stress free Thanksgiving Day dinner.
Stuffed Turkey Crown Roast
Course: MainCuisine: CanadianDifficulty: Moderate8
servings1
hour2
hoursIngredients
1 turkey crown roast (or two turkey breasts), boneless with skin
2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp/ fresh ground pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
My turkey stuffing/dressing recipe
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
sea salt sweet paprika and fresh ground pepper for seasoning the skin
Directions
- If using a crown roast, place the skin on your work surface then place the breasts on top, Make slight cuts on thicker parts of the breasts to even out with rest of the breast (if using two turkey breasts, butterfly them then place on the skin).
- Season the meat with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary. Place about half the cooked stuffing recipe in the middle and roll up (place leftover stuffing in a greased gratin dish and bake).
- Tie up up your rolled turkey with butcher’s twine and season with salt, paprika and ground pepper. For best results, prepare turkey one day prior to roasting (the pre-seasoning is known as dry-brining).
- Take your roast out of the fridge and place on a wire rack over a sheet pan and allow about 90 minutes to come to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F and melt your butter and brush on the skin. Place your turkey on the middle rack of your oven and roast for approx. 90-120 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 165F.
- Take your turkey out and tent with foil. Allow to rest 20 minutes before cutting off twine and slicing. Serve with mashed potatoes and my gravy.