Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it’s time to get excited about turkey and all the trimmings.  Sometimes Thanksgiving can be a small affair and it’s hard to justify a huge turkey, for just a few people. Yet, you still want to celebrate the day and enjoy succulent turkey and stuffing.  This year, we will be having a small Thanksgiving and I experimented with a stuffed turkey breast in the SousVide Supreme.  I wanted it to be special, but I didn’t want to spend my whole Thanksgiving babysitting the turkey. The wonderful thing about the SousVide Supreme is that it did all the hard work for me. Turkey can be troublesome and it’s difficult to know when it’s fully cooked. There is a danger of being too cautious and overcooking the bird. The SousVide Supreme ensures that the turkey is perfectly cooked, and stays moist and succulent. What more could you want from a Thanksgiving turkey?

For this recipe, I decided to stuff the breast with some tender leeks, Portobello mushrooms, herbs, breadcrumbs and white wine. It was the perfect filling for this turkey, and really made a delicious meal out of it. The meat itself was soft and tender and the stuffing was rich and moist. Although I could have made gravy, I think this recipe didn’t need one, as the stuffing and breast were full of juicy flavor.  I used some of the leftovers in a turkey sandwich and it was the best leftover sandwich I have ever eaten. So, if you are low on numbers this Thanksgiving, but still want to celebrate the day in style, this recipe is a great option. It’s simple, delicious, and compared to the hassle of cooking a full turkey, there was a lot less waste and a lot less stress.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds (0.9 kg) boneless turkey breast, preferably with skin still on
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, divided use
• ¼ cup (20 g) finely chopped green onions (scallions)
• 4 cups (240 g) finely chopped leeks
• ¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 large Portobello mushrooms (7 ounces/200g), washed and finely chopped
• 5 tablespoons (75 g) breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) finely chopped herbs (I used this mix -rosemary, parsley and thyme)
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) any vegetable oil with a high smoke point

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 149°F (65 °C).
2. Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry.
3. Using a very sharp knife, pierce a hole in the thick end of the breast and gently slide the knife into its center to create a deep pocket that extends almost to the bottom (thin end) of the breast.
4. Put the breast on a plate and leave in the fridge until you are ready to stuff it.
5. To make the stuffing, put 1 tablespoon of the butter into large heavy bottomed saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the green onions and leeks. Cook for about 7-10 minutes on a medium heat. You want the leeks to become meltingly tender.
6. Add the wine and garlic, and cook until the wine has boiled off.
7. Then, add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
8. Finally, add the breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
9. Even though the vegetables are all finely chopped, I find it a good idea to put the stuffing in a food processor and pulse once or twice just to make the stuffing into a tighter paste.
10. Allow the stuffing to cool.
11. Then, take the breast meat out of the fridge. Put the stuffing in a plastic food-grade piping bag (plastic food-grade sandwich bag with the corner cut out) and pipe the stuffing into the breast cavity. Season the outside of the breast with salt and pepper.
12.  Put the turkey breast into a large food-grade cooking pouch  along with the remaining tablespoon of butter and vacuum seal the pouch.
13. Submerge the pouch into the water bath and leave to cook for between 3 and 4 hours.
14. Once the breast has cooked, remove it from the water bath and take the breast out of the pouch. You can reserve the juices for gravy.
15. Put the breast on a plate and pat it dry with paper towels.
16. Put the vegetable oil into a large frying pan and heat over a high heat.
17. When the oil is very hot, put the turkey into the pan, skin side down.
18. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn the breast around to color on both sides.
19. Once the breast is evenly golden brown, remove it from the pan and put it on a serving platter and serve straight away.