Turkey Roulade with Cherry and Sausage Stuffing

Servings: 12 servings

Time:

Ingredients:

Turkey

One (12- to 14-pound) turkey, deboned (save bones, wings, and giblets for gravy and stock)

Sea salt (½ teaspoon per pound)

1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Stuffing

1½ cups dried cherries

1 cup brandy

½ cup unsalted butter

2 large onions, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

2 pounds ground pork sausage

2 tablespoons Harissa seasoning, divided

Sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

½ cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

10 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Make the turkey: Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Set on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days prior to roasting.

2. Prepare the stuffing: Place the dried cherries in a small saucepan and pour in the brandy. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits with a fork, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Stir in 1 tablespoon harissa and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Add the cherries with their liquid, the sage and the hazelnuts and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

4. Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, Parmesan and chicken stock. Before you add the eggs, taste and add more sea salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the eggs. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan.

5. Lay the turkey, skin-side down, on a large cutting board and spread the mustard and remaining tablespoon harissa all over the turkey, inside and out.

6. Spread the stuffing, in a ½-inch-thick layer, over the meat, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Don’t mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. (Place leftover stuffing in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.)

7. Starting at one short end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

8. Place the stuffed turkey, seam-side down, on the rack on the sheet pan. Roast for 1¾ to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150°F in the center. Brush the turkey with the melted butter several times throughout the roasting process.

9. Remove the roulade from the oven, cover it with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve ½-inch-thick slices and serve warm with the extra stuffing.