Thanksgiving Recipe: Sear-Roasted Turkey Breasts with a Mustard Cream Pan Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless turkey half-breasts, about 5 pounds total, skin on
Salt to season turkey
1/2 pound thick-sliced pancetta or bacon, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons strong Dijon mustard
1 sage leaf, chopped + more for garnish (optional)

Methods/Steps

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Step 1: Sear Turkey Breasts- Place a large sauté pan on medium high heat and add the olive oil. While the oil is getting hot, salt the turkey well. Let the olive oil get hot and then add the turkey breasts, skin side down (you may have to work in batches). Sear the turkey breasts on the skin side only for about 4 minutes or until skin is golden brown. Transfer turkey to a sheet pan or a roasting pan, skin side up. Be careful to not burn the pan, you may need to reduce heat a little if pan starts to burn. You will use this pan to make the sauce. Place sheet pan in the oven and finish cooking turkey until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers at 150 degrees. Remove from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Build Pan Sauce- Pour out most of the fat from the sauté pan. Add the pancetta/bacon and the shallot to the sauté pan and cook until half way crisp. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan then add cream, and mustard and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 4-5 minutes. Add sage if desired.

Step 3: Serve Turkey- Place a turkey breast on a serving platter, slice and ladle the sauce on top. Garnish with a sprig of sage if desired.