How to Make a Cartoon-Style Turkey “Leg” Roast (Yes, Really)
The Institute of Culinary Education's Lead Chef-Instructor Shawn Matijevich is no stranger to whimsical dishes.
For his Thanksgiving centerpiece last year, he lit a squash on fire. This year's dish, though not actively en flambé, is even more dramatic.
Meet the cartoon turkey "leg" roast.
"The people go wild for this roast," Chef Shawn says.
The basic premise of the roast is fairly simple. A deboned turkey is fabricated, rolled up inside of the turkey skin, cooked in a water bath and then roasted. Right before it goes in the oven, Chef Shawn shoves a bone in the end for a truly larger-than-life look.
The process, though involved, yields a delicious roast that gives a serving of both white and dark meat in each slice.
"That way, people don't have to fight over who gets the white meat or the dark meat," Chef Shawn says. "It's a crowd-pleaser."
The key to having the roast stay together is Activa RM transglutaminase, a powder that many chefs call "meat glue." It helps to bind the layers of meat together as they cook. Chef Shawn sprinkles it, along with herbs and salt, in between each layer of the roulade before cooking.
The dish also uses every part of the turkey, either in the roast itself or in the turkey stock used for the sauce. That's a deliberate choice on Chef Shawn's part since using the scraps from the turkey makes the dish both budget-conscious and delicious.
"Turkey fat is the most amazing substance on Earth," he says.
Here's how to make this stunning roast at home.
Study with Chef Shawn: Culinary Arts & Food Operations Online
How to make Chef Shawn’s Cartoon-Style Turkey “Leg” Roast Recipe
Yield: 6 pound roast that serves 12 or (8 with ample leftovers.)
Ingredients
- 1 turkey (approximately 12 pounds)
- 1/2 ounce tarragon, finely minced
- 1/2 ounce thyme, finely minced
- 1/2 ounce chives, finely minced
- 1/2 ounce rosemary, finely minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 oz unsalted butter
- 2 oz Activa RM Transglutinminase (AKA "meat glue")
- Salt and pepper as desired
Directions
Step 1: Debone the turkey (You can do this up to three days in advance)
- Dry turkey well and place so breast side is down towards the cutting board.
- Make an incision from head to tail along the spine to cut completely through skin. Gently remove skin by pulling and using your knife to separate any connective tissue holding skin to meat. Reserve skin.
- Remove thighs with legs attached and set aside.
- Remove turkey breasts and set aside.
- Trim meat from thigh and leg and reserve bones.
Step 2: Make the stock (You can do this up to three days in advance)
For the roast itself, you will only use the breast, thighs, legs and skin. You’ll be left with lots of bones from the carcass, legs and thighs, as well as the wings.
- Roast carcass, legs and thigh bones, and wings in a 350˚F oven until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
- Place roasted bones in stock pot and cover with 1.5 gallons water. Deglaze roasting pan with 1 cup wine to remove all the brown bits left by the roasting process, and add that liquid to stock pot with bones.
- Simmer for at least 4 hours until all meat and tissue come off the bone easily. (You can do this in 1.5 hours in a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot.) Strain.
- Select the best-looking bone and rinse under cold water to remove any remaining meat or connective tissue. Reserve bone for later.
Step 3: Make the roulade (You can do this up to two days in advance)
- Lay turkey skin with the side that was attached to the bird facing up. Sprinkle with a light layer of Activa RM, using a shaker or fine strainer to ensure even coverage.
- Place one boneless breast on top and sprinkle with herbs, salt, and Activa RM.
- Layer on a leg and thigh. Sprinkle with herbs, salt, and Activa RM.
- Repeat until no meat remains.
- Carefully wrap skin around meat to ensure it is fully covered and there are no holes.
- Carefully roll roulade in at least 6 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap and tighten ends to form a tube.
- Tie ends of roulade. Poke several small holes with a knife or toothpick to allow air to escape during final tightening.
- Tighten with butcher's twine until very taut.
- Sous vide for 3 hours at 150˚F. You can also poach roulade if you do not have a sous vide machine. If you are not roasting within 4 hours, place roulade in an ice bath to chill rapidly and then refrigerate until ready to roast.
Step 4: Make the sauce (You can do this up to three days in advance)
- Place stock in a large stock pot and simmer until volume is reduced to about 2 quarts.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute carrot, celery and onions until golden brown.
- Deglaze saucepan with remaining white wine and cook until wine is almost gone (au sec).
- Add 2 quarts of reduced stock and simmer until thickened. Strain.
- Return strained sauce to stove, whisk in butter, and simmer until it reaches desired thickness (should be the consistency of heavy cream).
- Season with salt, pepper, and remaining herbs if desired.
Step 5: Finish the turkey (About one hour before serving)
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Remove plastic wrap and place roulade on a roasting pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Shove reserved bone in one end of roulade until the desired effect is achieved.
- Place turkey roulade into oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 40 minutes.
- Remove turkey from oven and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes before carving.
- Slice to desired thickness and serve with sauce you made from the turkey stock.
