Roasted Turkey Breast

On Sundays we usually eat something that is more time consuming to cook.  I didn't know what we were going to eat this Sunday, then my husband mentioned that we haven't had a turkey breast in a long time.

I took a trip out to our favorite local butcher shop, and picked up their last turkey breast.  It was a good size for a full meal for us, plus leftovers (probably a whole 'nother meals worth)...just under 3 pounds.



I didn't have a recipe that I followed.  I just made it up as I went along.  Here's what I did.

I looked in the spice cabinet and chose Penzey's Bicentennial Rub (which includes coarse flake salt, Tellicherry black pepper, sugar, turmeric, minced orange peel and coriander).  I also love garlic, so I minced about 4 cloves.

 I poured some extra virgin olive oil in a shallow-sided pan.



I lifted the skin and made a pocket (careful not to remove the skin).  I put a splash of EVOO, the minced garlic, and about a teaspoon of the Bicentennial Rub in the pocket.

Then I tied up the breast with some kitchen twine.

I melted a tablespoon of my homemade butter in the microwave.

Then, I brushed the butter over the top of the breast.

Here's the beauty, ready to go into the oven.  I preheated the oven to 450 degrees.  When I put the turkey breast in, I turned the heat down to 400 degrees.

After 20 minutes, I basted the breast and brushed another tablespoon of melted butter on top.

I thought it would be done after 45 minutes of cooking, but I was wrong.  It ended up taking about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I knew it was done when the thermometer read 170 degrees.  I  let the turkey breast rest for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute.

The skin came out so crispy and delicious.

When I sliced into the turkey, it was so moist.  It was cooked to perfection.  The garlic flavor was noticeable without being overwhelming.   

I would have used butter in the pocket instead of EVOO, but my husband doesn't have the same opinions about "real" food as I do.  I was trying to keep the majority of the turkey breast healthy.  I figured he could pick off the skin if he was unhappy with the butter.  It turns out, he loved the skin, and didn't mind the butter.  Although, if I caught him on another day, the result may have been different.  He ate his turkey with couscous, and I had mine with corn and mashed potatoes.  I'm not anti-couscous, but it's new to me, so I'm slow to warm up to it.  Plus, I think that mashed potatoes pair perfectly with turkey.

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