Stuffed Turkey Breast with Bacon, Cranberry, Breadcrumb Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 boneless turkey breast
• Butter, extra virgin olive oil, OR bacon fat
• Salt
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 thick slice of bacon
• 1/4 cup minced shallot
• 2 Tbsp chopped dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon minced sage
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 Tbsp turkey or chicken stock, can sub water
• 1 turkey wing, optional
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• Poultry seasoning

Directions

1. Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl, pour hot water over them, and leave them to soften for about 15 minutes while you cook the bacon. When they are rehydrated, drain and chop them.
2. Set the bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook it slowly until crisp. Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels, then chop it once it is cool enough to handle. There should be at least a tablespoon of fat left in the pan; if there is less, add butter or olive oil to bring it up to that amount.
3. Return the same pan to medium heat, leaving the bacon fat in place. Add the minced shallots and cook until they start to take on color. Stir in the chopped dried cranberries, minced sage, and chopped mushrooms, then cook everything together for 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the breadcrumbs, parsley, chopped bacon, and turkey or chicken stock. Mix until the stuffing comes together into a coarse paste that holds to itself. Take the pan off the heat and let the stuffing cool.
5. Remove the turkey skin in one whole piece and save it. Place the turkey breast between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap, then gently pound it with a mallet until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Depending on the size of the breast, butterflying it first may make this easier.
6. Trim the flattened turkey breast into a rough rectangle. Spread the stuffing in a thin layer over the meat, keeping a 3/4 inch border around every edge. Beginning at one of the shorter sides, roll the turkey breast up. Drape the reserved skin over the roll and tuck any excess underneath the edges.
7. Tie the rolled breast snugly with cotton kitchen string, not nylon, and place it in a roasting pan. Brush it with olive oil, or rub it with butter or bacon fat, then season with salt. For extra drippings to use in gravy, add pieces of a turkey wing to the roasting pan.
8. Roast the turkey at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting for 10-15 minutes more, until a meat thermometer inserted into the breast registers about 155 degrees.
9. When the turkey reaches that temperature, lift it out of the roasting pan and cover it loosely with foil. Rest it for at least 10 minutes and as long as 25 minutes.
10. While the turkey rests, make gravy from the pan drippings if you like. If you roasted only the breast and skipped the optional turkey wing, there may not be a lot in the pan, but even a small amount will add flavor. If there is very little fat, melt two tablespoons of butter in the roasting pan.
11. Set the roasting pan with the drippings over two burners on the stove-top over medium heat, removing the turkey wing first if you used it. Scatter in the flour and stir until it blends into the drippings.
12. Pour in the stock slowly, whisking the whole time, until the gravy is smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, or use ground sage or thyme. Simmer on the stove until it thickens to the consistency you like.