In my family we always celebrate Sundays. Mostly with tasty and festive food. I remember my parents were always up very early to start preparing everything for dinner. It was usually a three-course menu so it was a bit time consuming (well, so much for lazy days, huh?) But everything was always prepared fresh and from the scratch. And it was always so good. Everyone would help and we would gather at the table early afternoon to enjoy the meal, followed by a coffee and cake.

For the main dish, my parents would usually opt for a whole chicken or some other roast. Apart of the getting up early part I really enjoyed all of it. Well, ok, doing the dishes were not so hot either, but who likes doing them, right?

I took that little family tradition when I moved out. So, we too have a roast dinner on Sundays most times when we are not out and about. Well, that was at least in the pre-covid times.

And since we have a weekend, I thought I’d post one of the recipes of how we celebrate. Maybe it’ll inspire you to give it a try, either on Sunday or on your family and friends gatherings. Despite the long ingredient list and the preparation, it is in fact very easy. And once the roast is in the oven, and the delicious smell starts slowly filling the kitchen, then there is only the anticipation.

Preparation time: 20 min Baking time: ca 90min

1 turkey breast, ca 2kg

Tbsp of butter

Ca 20 slices of bacon

For the stuffing:

2 tablespoons butter

Tablespoon oil

2 onions

150g cured bacon, cubed

50g pine nuts

4 garlic cloves, cut in small pieces

Handful of fresh sage, leaves only

Lemon zest from 2 lemons

Handful of fresh parsley

100g breadcrumbs

1 egg

Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry. Cut it slightly in few places then place it between two foils. Using a rolling pin try to flatten the meat until the highest part is ca 5cm thick. If needed you can cut the edges, so the overall shape reminds of rectangle.

Brush top side of the meat with soft butter, then put aside. Place aluminum foil on the working space, I used two sheets. Place 5 strings on the foil to create a “ladder”, as the goal is to later connect both sides of the turkey breast together. When the strings are in place, put the bacon rashers so that they overlap. Put the turkey, the buttered side up, on top.

To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter with a little bit of oil, add onion, previously cut in small cubes. Simmer for 10 min and move it to another dish or small bowl.

Using the same pan, sear the bacon cubes until lightly brown. Add pine nuts, garlic, chopped sage and lemon zest. Sear for a minute until the nuts will start becoming golden brown. Take the pan from the heat, add the onion, chop the parsley and add it to the mix. Stir then add the breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients combine.

Once the stuffing is ready, place it in the middle of the turkey lengthwise. Connect the edges of the turkey and the bacon rashers tightly, the stuffing should not come out, each step of the way tying up the strings. Once the roll is done, wrap it around in the aluminum foil and put it in an ovenproof dish.

Place the dish in the oven, preheated to 190◦C (top/bottom heat). The time should be ca 40min for every 1kg of the roast, so if you have a 2kg turkey breast that would make ca 80min plus ca 10min to add for the stuffing. About 10 minutes before the timer is up, unwrap the roll and place again in the oven. Once the roast is done, take it out and leave it for a few minutes to rest before serving.

I served it with salad, but you can also bake small potatoes in the same dish as the roast or simply serve it with mashed potatoes.

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