Ingredient List

• Serves about 20 (along with the ham, salads and vegies)
• 1 free-standing whole turkey breast on the bone, weighing about 4kg (size 40)
• Stuffing:
• 4 cups breadcrumbs, made from wholegrain bread
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in sherry overnight
• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• Zest and juice of one orange
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Whole turkey breast (or buffe, as the manufacturers call it) is an impressive and easier option than a big whole roast turkey.  It also yields plenty of delicious moist white meat which keeps well for leftovers. Serve with mixed roasted vegetables, which can be prepared ahead and served warm.

Remove plastic and paper towels from chest cavity before stuffing and wipe the skin dry.
For the stuffing: Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl.  Saute onions in the butter until soft and transparent.  Add to the breadcrumbs along with remaining ingredients.  Season well.  If mixture seems dry, add another beaten egg.
Preheat oven to 180degC.  Fan-forced oven 160degC.  Webber BBQ place 45 briquettes on each side.
Spoon some of the stuffing firmly into neck of the turkey buffe, being careful not to pack too tightly as it will swell as it cooks.  Pull neck skin over the cavity and secure with skewers.
Spoon remaining stuffing into  the chest covering tightly with a double layer or greased foil.Place breast up on a roasting dish and cover the whole breast with foil.  Place in the oven and pour in 1 – 1 1/2 cups hot water.  Roast for approximately 40 minutes per kg – you won’t need to turn the turkey around.  Thirty minutes before it is ready, remove foil and pierce the skin in several places to allow self-basting and browning.  The turkey breast is cooked when meat juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature should read 85degC (185degF).  Allow turkey to stand ten minutes covered with foil before serving.

Tip: when I looked in the supermarket today, I noticed most of the breasts are 2kg – 2.5kg, which are considerably smaller, so you will need to halve the stuffing if using one of those.  They’ll serve fewer people too.