FARIDEH SADEGHIN

How to Make a Turkey Roulade

For Thomas Keller's Thanksgiving feast honoring military veterans (see his article "Holiday for the Heroes"), executive chef Michael Sandoval of Yountville, California's Bouchon Bistro turns boneless, skin-on turkey thighs into elegant roulades. He stuffs them with a savory mousse of puréed ground turkey, cream, crème fraîche, herbs, and egg whites. The ingredients must be ice-cold when you're making the mousse so that it spreads easily and does not seep out during cooking. Once rolled, tied, and secured in plastic wrap, the roulades are poached to firm up the mousse, then pan-fried and roasted to crisp the skin and cook the meat. Here's how to do it. See the recipe for Bouchon Roast Turkey »

Lay turkey thighs skin side down. Remove bones and butterfly meat; using the flat side of a mallet, pound until about ½" thick.

Season both sides of thighs with salt and pepper. Divide mousse between thighs and spread lengthwise down center of thighs.

Working from one long side, roll each thigh into a tight package; tie with butchers' string.

Wrap roulades separately using a triple layer of plastic wrap until airtight; twist ends and tie with butcher's string.

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Heat a saucepan of water until a deep-fry thermometer reads 180°. Poach roulades until mousse is firm, 35–45 minutes. Discard plastic wrap; pat roulades dry using paper towels.

Melt butter in an ovenproof 12″ skillet over medium. Brown roulades, 18–20 minutes. Transfer to a 350° oven; cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°, 20–22 minutes.

Let roulades rest 15 minutes before carving.