Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast With Sage & Onion Stuffing
Our bacon wrapped turkey breast is stuffed with sage & onion stuffing and garlic butter. It's a real crowd pleaser that's perfect for Christmas!
Servings: 8 People
Equipment
- Large Roasting Tray
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Meat Tenderiser/Hammer
- Butcher's String
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg Turkey Breast Boneless, Skinless & Butterflied - See Notes
Sage & Onion Stuffing
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Large White Onion Finely Diced
- 100 g Paxo Sage & Onion Stuffing
- 250 ml Boiling Water
- 450 g Sausage Meat
- 75 g Cooked Chestnuts Roughly Chopped
- 2 tsp Sage Leaves Finely Chopped
Garlic & Herb Butter
- 100 g Unsalted Butter Softened
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Thyme Leaves Finely Chopped
- 1 Lemon, Zested
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Bacon Weave
- 16-20 Rashers Streaky Bacon Smoked Or Unsmoked
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil To Coat Before Cooking
Instructions
Sage & Onion Stuffing
- Heat a small pan over a medium-low heat then pour in the vegetable oil. Once hot, add in the diced onion & a pinch of salt then cook until soft. This will take around 10 minutes.Once cooked, transfer the onion to a bowl & leave to cool completely.
- In the meantime, place the paxo stuffing into a mixing bowl & pour in the boiling water. Give it a stir then leave to soak & cool.
- Next, place the sausage meat into a large mixing bowl & add in the cooled stuffing, onions, chopped chestnuts & sage leaves. Season with salt & pepper then give the stuffing a good mix. Set aside in the fridge until needed.
Garlic & Herb Butter
- Place the softened butter, thyme leaves & lemon into a mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper then mix with a spatula/whisk until smooth.
Stuffing The Turkey Breast
- Place the turkey breast between two large pieces of baking paper then use a meat tenderiser/hammer (or something heavy like a pan or rolling pin) to pound out into an even thickness. Don't make the turkey too thin! It should be at least 1½cm thick.
- Next, lay a double layer of clingfilm, or a large sheet of baking paper (big enough to fit the turkey in) onto a worksurface then place the turkey breast on top, skin side down, with the short edge facing parallel to the top of the clingfilm/baking paper.The turkey breast won't have any skin on but you know what I mean!
- Spread the garlic butter all over the top of the turkey then shape the stuffing into a long sausage (the same length as your turkey breast) then place into the centre.Make sure to place the stuffing in the turkey so that it is facing the same way as the turkey's shorter side - see the prep photos in the post above for a visual reference!
- Using the clingfilm/baking parchment, roll the turkey breast around the stuffing then place it on a tray & refrigerate whilst you make the bacon weave. Once rolled, the turkey should overlap slightly at the bottom, to form a seam.
Bacon Weave
- Place a rasher of bacon onto a chopping board & stretch it out with the back of a knife. Place onto a tray/plate then repeat with the rest of the bacon.
- Lay a double layer of clingfilm (big enough to roll the turkey in) onto a worksurface.
- Place 8-10 rashers of bacon*, facing lengthways on the clingfilm, making sure that the rashers are sitting right next to each other, leaving no gaps.*The width of the bacon weave should be the same length as the turkey.
- Fold back alternating rashers by 3-4 cm (towards you) then lay another piece of bacon horizontally across the unfolded rashers, so that it sits level with the top.Unfold the folded bacon back over the horizontal rasher.
- Next, fold the bacon that wasn't folded in the previous step away from you, so that it folds over the first horizontal piece of bacon. Lay another horizontal rasher across the unfolded bacon, so that it's sitting right next to the first rasher then unfold the folded bacon back over.
- Continue the weaving process, alternating which rashers of bacon are folded back until you have a completed bacon weave. You'll need between 8-10 rashers of bacon in total for the horizontal pieces.
- Next, remove the clingfilm/baking paper from the turkey breast then place seam side up on the weave.
- Using the clingfilm, roll the weave around the turkey, so that it completely covers the top - it won't go all the way round!
- Tie the ends of the clingfilm then place the bacon wrapped turkey in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Cooking
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Next, cut 6 pieces of butcher's string & lay them horizontally across a chopping board, leaving an inch between each piece.Each piece of string needs to be long enough to wrap around the turkey.
- Remove the clingfilm from the turkey then place it bacon side up, on top of the string.
- Tie each piece of string around the turkey & secure at the top, with a knot*.*The string should be secure but not too tight as this allows for any expansion during cooking.
- Cut a piece of string long enough to go all the way round the length of the turkey then tie one end to one of the horizontal pieces of string on the end of turkey. Run the string all the way round the turkey, down the length, tucking it under & over each horizontal piece of string then tie to the piece of string that you started at, to secure.
- Cut a large piece of baking parchment & place the tied turkey on top. Brush on the tbsp of veg oil over the bacon weave then wrap the turkey in the parchment.
- Next, lay two or three pieces of foil (depending on the size of your turkey) onto a worksurface then place your turkey on top. Roll the turkey up in the foil, twist the ends shut then place into a large roasting tin, bacon side up.Make sure to remember which side the bacon weave is facing whilst you roll the turkey up. It needs to be facing upwards so that we can crisp it up towards the end of the cooking process.
- Pour a cm of cold water into the bottom of the roasting tin then place in the preheated oven. Cook until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/149°f. This will take roughly 2½-3 hours but check after 2.
- Increase the oven temperature to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f).Carefully cut through the foil & baking parchment with a pair of scissors, to expose the bacon then cook the turkey for 10-15 minutes, until the bacon has crisped up & the internal temperature has reached 75°c/167°f.
- Leave the turkey to rest for at least 30 minutes, loosely covered in foil before cutting into slices.
Notes
1. Cooking In An Aga - Cook the turkey on the bottom set of runners in the baking oven until it reaches 65°c/149°f then cook in the roasting oven on the second from bottom set of runners, to crisp the bacon up & bring the internal temperature to 75°c/167°f.
2. Turkey - For this recipe, you'll need a turkey breast that has been butterflied & has had the skin removed. This should weigh between 2-2.5 kg. You could do this yourself or ask your butcher to do it for you.
3. Storage - Any leftover turkey should be stored in the fridge & eaten within 3 days. To reheat, place turkey slices onto a tray, spoon over some gravy then cover with foil & cook in a 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f) oven for 5-10 minutes.
4. Stuffing - Feel free to cook the turkey without stuffing it. You won't need to butterfly the turkey & it won't take as long to cook.