Food Lust People Love: Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets are a fun, attractive way to serve turkey and stuffing. Each person gets an individual stuffed “turkey” wrapped in bacon. This recipe is great main dish for a low stress party. No more wondering if the turkey is perfectly done. It is!

Personally, we like stuffing all year long, not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I often find myself frying sausage meat and mixing it up to roast under chicken thighs, as a filling for squash or occasionally, just baking it in a pan as a side dish.

You will find the ingredient list and method below for the stuffing I make over and over again but please feel free to use your favorite recipe here as well. I know that for some families their own treasured stuffing recipe cannot be changed!

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Cutlets or escalopes of turkey can be found at most grocery stores these days. While they are more expensive per pound than a whole turkey, not a bit will go to waste. And look at how pretty they are!

Ingredients

For the sausage stuffing:

7 1/2 oz or 215g good quality fresh sausage (3-4 links)

6-7 slices stale bread, toasted and cubed

1/3 cup or 75g butter

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 cups or 180ml turkey or chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large egg

To assemble:

10 turkey cutlets (approx. weight 2 1/2 lbs or 1135g)

10 slices smoked bacon

toothpicks

For decoration – optional

20 fresh sage leaves

10 fresh cranberries

toothpicks

Method

Cube the bread and add it to a large bowl that all the stuffing ingredients will fit in, with room to stir.

Remove the sausage from the casings and fry until golden in a skillet, breaking it into crumbles as you go. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and remove all but a tablespoon of any rendered fat.

Add the butter to the frying pan and turn the heat on low. Sauté the onion and celery in the butter until it’s soft and translucent.

Add the poultry seasoning, a few generous grinds of black pepper, and the 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and mix well.

Add the onion mixture to the bowl with the bread.

Add the crumbled fried sausage back in and stir. Now add the broth and stir again.

Set the stuffing aside to cool.

Meanwhile, put the turkey cutlets, one at a time, between two large pieces of cling film on a cutting board and use the side of your rolling pin or a similar implement to flatten them out.

Use new pieces of cling film for each turkey cutlet and set them in a stack, still between the cling film till you’ve pounded them all flat.

Add the egg to the cooled stuffing and mix well.

Lay one turkey cutlet on your working surface. Remove the top piece of cling film and discard. Put about 1/10th of the stuffing into the middle of the turkey cutlet and fold the sides over to cover it securely.

Roll each of the stuffed turkey cutlets up in the bottom piece of cling film and line them up to chill on a plate in the refrigerator as you get them each made.

Once they are all made, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Remove the cling film from each cutlet and wrap them with one slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks and place in a large baking pan.

Roast in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C.

If desired, decorate each stuffed cutlet by securing two sage leaves and a fresh cranberry with a toothpick. Remove the other toothpicks to serve.

Of course, the pan drippings can used to make gravy and I recommend you do! Follow this easy instructional video from TheKitchn.

Serve the stuffed turkey cutlets with cranberry sauce and your favorite gravy.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 20th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter T. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the T recipes below: