ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH ROOT VEGETABLES, PAN GRAVY and Israeli Couscous

INGREDIENTS

1 boneless (skin on) turkey breast HALF (it should be around 3-4 lb)

4 cups cubed (bite-sized) root vegetables (the mixture should be 1 cup sweet potatoes, 1 cup squash, 1 cup turnip, ½ cup parsnip, ½ cup carrot)

½ lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

Pepper to taste

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, left whole or roughly chopped

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, left whole or roughly chopped

2-3 shallots, roughly chopped

3-4 stalks of celery from the inside of the celery - the small ones with the leaves, roughly chopped (including the leaves)

1 HEAD garlic, cloves separated, skins left ON

1 cup cherry tomatoes, washed

1 cup no sodium chicken broth plus a little water during the cooking

2 cups Israeli Couscous or a small shape whole wheat soup pasta, cooked according to package directions in water

DIRECTIONS

Allow the turkey breast stand at room temp for about 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 375°F

1. Put the 4 cups of cubed root vegetables in a medium size pot, cover with water by a few inches and bring to a boil. Cook the vegetable for 10 minutes, the vegetables will be only partially cooked, drain, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, make a paste with the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, set aside.
3. Place the turkey breast inside a large roasting pan - you will dress the turkey right in the roasting pan so that all the excess spices and herbs fall into the dish rather than a work surface.
4. Squeeze and rub lemon half all over turkey (keep the squeezed lemon half). Discard any seeds. Leave the lemon half in the roasting pan.
5. Rub the olive oil and spice mixture all over the turkey separating the skin from the meat in order to get the spice mixture under the skin.
6. Stuff the thyme and rosemary under the turkey and some under the skin as well. Place the previously squeezed half lemon under the turkey. The turkey should be in the pan, flattened out with the skin side up.
7. Add the chopped shallots, celery, garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes to the bottom of the pan.
8. Scatter the partially cooked root veggies around the turkey breast and in and around the tomatoes and garlic.
9. Add the stock to the bottom of the roasting pan.
10. Cook for 1¼ -1½ hrs or until the meat thermometer reads 160°F in the breast (the skin should be golden brown). Baste the turkey every 20 minutes with drippings; add a little water if needed.
11. Once cooked, remove from the oven, remove turkey from the pan onto a cutting board and let rest, tented with foil for about 10 minutes. Separate the vegetables from the pan drippings or jus, and reserve.
12. Slice the turkey breast crosswise on an angle in ¼-½ inch slices.
13. Serve on a platter with the couscous as a bed for the turkey and the vegetables around the slices and the jus on the side.

Serves 8

Cooks Note: When I have a larger crowd for dinner I cook 2 turkey breasts in the same pan - I double everything. If your pan is not big enough, you can use a large cookie sheet.

Make Ahead Tip: You can prepare the whole thing in advance except rubbing the turkey with the lemon. One hour before cooking, take the turkey breast out of the fridge and rub with lemon and let sit at room temperature for the hour before cooking.

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