Mexican stuffed turkey roll

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PREP TIME

25 min

Makes

6 to 8 servings

* PLUS Roasting Time: 55 minutes
Mexican stuffed turkey roll

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grated Monterey Jack
  • 3 green onions
  • 3 whole roasted red peppers , store-bought or home-roasted
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped coriander , or 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
  • 1 kg boneless, rolled turkey breast , see tip below
  • butcher's string
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
  • generous pinches salt
  • generous pinches freshly ground white or black pepper
  • tomato , optional
  • avocado , optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Grate cheese using large holes on a box grater. Place in a medium-size bowl. Thinly slice green onions. Pat roasted peppers dry with paper towels. Slice into thick strips. Finely chop jalapeños. Coarsely chop coriander. Stir all into cheese until evenly mixed.
  • If there is netting around turkey breast, discard. Place turkey, skin side down, on a cutting board or piece of waxed paper and unroll. For turkey to be re-rolled easily, it should be roughly rectangular and of even thickness. To even out thickness, cut slits into thick parts of turkey, then open up like a book. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, then lightly pound thick parts with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy pan until about the same thickness. Excessive pounding will toughen turkey.
  • Using your hands, mound cheese mixture close to edge of one short end of breast. Starting with short end, tightly roll turkey into a log. It’s OK if some of filling spills out. Gently pack back into openings at each end, if possible. Tie with butcher’s string. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Brush with oil, then sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Roast, uncovered, in centre of preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat reads 160F (70C). This will take 55 to 65 minutes, depending on thickness of roll. Remove from oven. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove string. Thickly slice. Delicious warm, at room temperature or chilled. Arrange slices on a large platter. Surround with slices of tomato and avocado. Drizzle Sour Cream Sauce (see recipe, below) over turkey slices, if you like. If not serving right away, refrigerate warm unsliced roll. When cold, wrap roll in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories
  • 282,
  • Protein
  • 31.7 g,
  • Carbohydrates
  • 2.8 g,
  • Fat
  • 15.5 g,
  • Fibre
  • 0.6 g,

 

With a colourful Mexican filling, this is like a healthy low-carb fajita – it’s loaded with peppers, cheese and coriander. Make it a day before and you’ll see it tastes even better after overnight refrigeration. Double the recipe for a big crowd.

Shopping Tip

If you can’t find a 2-lb (1-kg) boneless, rolled turkey breast in the supermarket, ask your butcher to cut one or use 2 (1- to 1-1/2-lb/500- to 750-g) rolled breasts instead.

Sour Cream Sauce

In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin. Sauce will keep well, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, up to 2 days.

Packed To Go

Place plastic-wrapped, unsliced turkey roll in a plastic bag. Keep cold. If you want to take sliced tomatoes, place in a plastic bag. Just before packing, slice avocado and place in a plastic container. Squeeze a little lemon juice overtop and turn slices to coat. Seal sauce in a small plastic container. Slice turkey roll just before serving.

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