Kristen's Recipes

Cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces of cream cheese, softened
¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices of bacon
1 pound of small new potatoes, halved (can also use regular sized potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½ inch pieces
Optional garnish: chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Using a small knife, cut a slit lengthwise partway across each chicken breast to create a deep pocket. In a small bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, parsley and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture evenly into the pocket of each chicken breast. Alternatively, you can put the filling into a plastic bag and snip the tip to create a makeshift pastry bag to squeeze the filling into the chicken. Use toothpicks to seal the pockets shut. Season the top of each chicken breast with salt and pepper then wrap 2 slices of bacon around each chicken breast. Place the chicken breasts on the sheet pan; scatter the potatoes around the chicken. Coat the potatoes in cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and add the zucchini, season the zucchini with salt and pepper to taste.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Broil for an additional 3-5 minutes or until bacon is browned and crispy. Serve immediately, with chopped parsley as a garnish if desired.

It’s definitely possible to debone your own turkey breast, but it’s a pretty time-consuming effort so, if you can, have your butcher do the dirty work and buy a boneless breast with the skin still on.

3 cups diced white or wheat sandwich bread (3 to 5 slices)
4 cups 1/2-inch-cubed, peeled butternut squash
1 large leek (white and light green parts only), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons, washed well, and dried
2 medium-size Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 scallions (whites and light green parts only), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup diced unpeeled green apple (about 1/2 an apple)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 boneless, skin-on turkey breast (about 5 pounds)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Arrange the cubed bread in an even layer on the pan, and toast in the oven until very brown and dry, about 8 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and set aside to cool. (Leave the oven on.) Toss together the squash, leek, potatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Arrange the hash in a single layer on the sheet pan and set it aside. Transfer the bread cubes to the (unwashed) large bowl, add the scallions, cranberries, apple, sage, thyme, stock, milk, egg yolk, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir to combine. Set the stuffing aside. Set the turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board and lay a big piece of plastic wrap on top of the meat. Use a heavy pan or flat-sided meat tenderizer to pound the turkey breast to an even thickness, about 1 inch. Remove the plastic and spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Starting with one of the long sides, roll up the turkey breast, fairly tightly, like a jelly roll. Use some butcher’s twine to tie up the roulade at 1-inch intervals. Place the turkey roulade, seam side down, on top of the hash on the sheet pan. Sprinkle the roulade with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and rub a bit of extra olive oil over the skin. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roulade registers 165 degrees F, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Allow the roulade to rest for 15 minutes before cutting it into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with the autumn hash.

Fear not, despite being baked, these are tender and flavourful meatballs — though check them a bit earlier if you make smaller ones than Gilbert calls for, as I learned. I highly recommend eating with the ricotta as she suggests.

For the tomatoes:
4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, skins on
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of fine sea salt
Pinch of dried oregano

For the meatballs:
1 small yellow onion, peeled
1 1/2 lb (750 g) ground turkey (dark meat is best)
1 cup (250 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (60 mL) Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) herbes de Provence (see note)
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground mustard (such as Colman’s)
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
Ricotta cheese, for serving

Preheat the oven to 300 F (150C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. On one of the pans, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer with the garlic cloves. Evenly drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt and oregano. Toss to coat, then turn the tomatoes cut side up. Bake the tomatoes on the lower rack, rotating the pan halfway through, until they are puckered, crinkly and sweet, 30 minutes to 1 hour (the longer the tomatoes roast at a low temperature, the sweeter they’ll get). Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the onion into a large bowl; you will get some onion juice in the bowl as well — this is good. Add the turkey, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence, kosher salt, pepper, mustard, olive oil and basil, and use your hands to gently mix everything together until combined. Do not over-squish the meat, as this will lead to tough, dense meatballs. Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 golf ball-size balls (a cookie scoop is a great tool for this), and place them on the other sheet pan, leaving just a bit of space between the meatballs. Once the tomatoes have been cooking for at least 30 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you want them extra sweet), turn up the oven to 375 F (190 C). Slide the meatballs into the oven on the upper rack, above the pan of tomatoes. Bake the tomatoes and meatballs until the tomatoes are puckered and sizzling, about 15 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set them aside. (Either discard the garlic cloves or peel them for serving with the tomatoes.) Flip the meatballs, rotate the pan and continue to bake on the upper rack until they are no longer raw inside (check one with a knife), an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the meatballs warm, on a bed of the slow-roasted tomatoes, with dollops of ricotta on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with some extra basil, as much as you like.

Note: What is herbes de Provence? Glad you asked. It’s a mixture of dried herbs and spices traditionally found in the Provencal region of France, including thyme, savory, basil, fennel seed and lavender, among others. Small jars of the blend can usually be found in the spice aisle at the grocery store, though if necessary you an mix your own using equal parts dried savory, rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram and fennel seed — or some other combination thereof — and if you can find culinary lavender, use that, too.
The Dish with Slight Variations (Turkey & Pork Meatballs)

5 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small peeled yellow onion
1 lb ground turkey (not too lean)
1 lb ground pork
1 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra for serving
ricotta cheese for serving

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with racks in upper and lower third. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. On one of the pans, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer with the garlic cloves. Evenly drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat. Bake on lower rack, rotating pan halfway through, until they are puckered crinkly and sweet, about 45 minutes. The longer they roast the better they are- you can take them out at 30 minutes, but try for an hour. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Grate the onion with a box grater into a large bowl, to capture the onion juice as well. Add the ground meats, Parmesan, panko, spices, olive oil, mustard and basil. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Don’t over work the meat- this will give you dry, dense meatballs. Divide and shape the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs, and place on the other sheet pan, leaving just a bit of space between the meat balls. Once the tomatoes have cooked at least thirty minutes (I roasted mine at low heat closer to an hour), crank the oven up to 375. Put the meatballs on the upper oven rack. Bake both pans until the tomatoes are sizzling- about 15 minutes. Take the tomatoes out and set them aside. Flip the meatballs, rotate the pan and continue to bake until they are no longer raw inside, an additional 20-25 minutes. Serve the meatballs warm on a bed of the slow-roasted tomatoes, with dollops of ricotta on top. Garnish with some extra basil.

1/4 C. snipped Fresh Basil
1 tsp. Lemon Zest
½ tsp Salt
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 ½ lb. Chicken Pieces (breast halves, thighs or drumsticks)
8 oz. Brussels Sprouts, halved if large
3 T. EVOO
1 small Delicata Squash, halved, seeds removed, and cut into ½” slices
1 lemon, sliced
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds, slightly crushed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil, if desired; set aside. In a small bowl combine basil, lemon peel, salt, and crushed red pepper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Rub herb mixture evenly over chicken pieces. Arrange chicken in prepared baking pan. Add Brussels sprouts to pan. Drizzle chicken and sprouts with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring sprouts once. Add squash, apples, lemon, and fennel seeds to pan (or divide the mixture between two baking pans if crowded). Drizzle with remaining oil and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast and at least 170 degrees F in the thighs or drumsticks and vegetables are tender. Garnish with additional basil and lemon peel, if desired.

2 fresh turkey legs, separated at the joint.
salt and pepper
1 large sweet potato, about 1 lb
1 large red onion, peeled
3 large stalks celery, washed
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
fresh thyme
2 cups cubed hearty rustic-style bread
4 Tablespoons chicken stock
3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground savory
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup cooked, peeled chestnuts
1 1/2 cup snapped green beans

Preheat oven to 400F. Season turkey pieces all over with salt and pepper. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and cover the pan with aluminum foil. It should be sealed. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Remove foil (keep it for later) and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. Peel or scrub sweet potato and cut into 1 inch cubes. Cut onion into 8 sections. Cut celery into 1-inch sections. Combine all three vegetables in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Remove turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 425F. Spread the vegetables around the pan in a single layer. Return to the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
Place the bread cubes in a bowl and pour over the chicken stock and 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Toss bread cubes with ground savory and more fresh thyme. Combine cranberries, chestnuts and green beans in the vegetable bowl. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from oven (yep, one more time!). Tuck the bread cubes around the turkey. Sprinkle the cranberries, chestnuts and green beans all over the sheet pan. Brush turkey with remaining melted butter. Roast everything for 10 minutes.
Remove pan from oven. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.