Galantine of Turkey

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

A “Galantine” is the French technique of rolling and stuffing poultry breasts with the forcemeat from the thighs. The skin is removed in one piece, as well as the bones. For this recipe, buy a whole turkey and save the legs and thighs for a braise (see page 35); the rest of the bones are removed and saved for broth and the turkey breast gets stuffed, rolled and tied in a neat, easy-to-slice and -serve roll. Here I stuffed the breast with mushrooms, sweet potato and farro, but you can stuff it with whatever you like, even a traditional bread stuffing. It can be a little daunting to debone a whole turkey, but be patient and if it looks a mess while in process, fear not: Once it is stuffed and rolled, you’ll be proud of your handiwork. If deboning the bird adds anxiety to your holiday house, have your butcher take care of that. Make sure you save the legs to braise; freeze them before Thanksgiving and make that dish in deep winter. This method will also work with a larger turkey; just increase the stuffing ingredients to match the size of your bird.

Serves 4–6

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1 cup diced onion 
kosher or sea salt 
1 medium carrot, diced 
½ cup chopped sweet potato 
¾ cup chopped mushrooms (wild mushrooms if you have access to them) 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, plus sprigs for garnish 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish 
½ cup turkey or chicken broth 
1 cup cooked farro (or rice, quinoa, barley or other flavorful grain) 
freshly ground black pepper 
1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: butcher’s twine, boning knife, strong kitchen shears or heavy knife 

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the oil and onions and gently cook until the onions begin to soften and become fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrot and sweet potato and cook another 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, stir in the mushrooms and leave them alone to cook in an even layer, until the mushrooms begin to “sweat.” Stir in the herbs and cook another 4 or 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the herbs are fragrant. Add the broth and raise the heat to medium-high; cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the cooked farro and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool completely before stuffing (can be made the day before).

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Using a sharp knife, remove the legs and thighs of the turkey. Slice into the hip joint until the knife hits bone. Wiggle the leg to determine where the joint is and cut between the bones. Reserve the legs and thighs for the braised turkey recipe, being careful not to remove too much skin. 

Flip the turkey onto its breast side. Using poultry shears or a heavy knife, remove the backbone by cutting along both sides of the spine; reserve for gravy. Turn the bird breast side up and, using both hands and your body weight, press down on the breastbone until you hear a crack and the turkey is mostly flat.

Using the tip of the boning knife, slice down the right side of the turkey rib cage, separating the meat from the bone. Be careful not to cut through the backside of breast skin. Remove the wing bones at the joint. Separate the turkey meat from the ribs. Be careful not to cut through or pierce the skin connecting the two breast halves. 

Repeat process on the other side of the turkey, taking care around the breastbone to leave the skin intact and attached. 

Lay the turkey breast skin side down. Arrange the turkey horizontally in a rectangular shape. Lay plastic wrap on top of the flesh and, using a meat mallet, gently pound the flesh until the surface is even and flat, about 1½ inches thick. Season the flesh with salt and pepper. Tug the skin under the flesh so that it creates a border around the flesh underneath on all sides. Leaving a 2-inch border along the bottom of the rectangle of flesh, spoon the stuffing horizontally along the bottom of the rectangle. Starting with the end closest to you, securely, but not too tightly (so the stuffing doesn’t come out the sides) roll into a cylinder. Tuck the excess skin on either end of the rolled cylinder under the ends to completely enclose the cylinder. Using butcher’s twine, tie the cylinder every 2 inches—again securely but not too tightly. Season the skin liberally with salt. Can be done a day or two in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and chilled in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge at least 30–40 minutes before roasting.

Place in a roasting pan and cook for about 1½ hours, or to an internal temperature of 150°F. Remove the turkey to a platter or cutting board and allow it to rest 30 minutes prior to carving. Garnish with sage and thyme sprigs.

This recipe appeared in the Fall/Holiday 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Turkey For a Small Holiday.