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Harissa-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 14, 2021

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Harissa-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

½ cups extra-virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin ¾ teaspoon caraway seeds Salt and pepper 1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in turkey breast 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces⅓ cup half-and-half, warmed2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Before You Begin

If you can't find Aleppo pepper, you can substitute ¾ teaspoon paprika and ¾ teaspoon finely chopped red pepper flakes. If using a self-basting turkey breast (such as a frozen Butterball) or kosher turkey, omit the salt in step 1.

Instructions

  1.  Microwave 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, paprika, coriander, Aleppo pepper, cumin, caraway seeds, and 1½ teaspoons salt in bowl until bubbling and very fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through microwaving. Let cool to room temperature. Measure out and reserve ¼ cup harissa for serving.
  2.  Place turkey breast on counter, skin side down. Using kitchen shears, cut through ribs, following vertical line of fat where breast meets back, from tapered end of breast to wing joint. Using your hands, bend back away from breast to pop shoulder joints out of sockets. Using paring knife, cut through joints between bones to separate back from breast; discard back. Trim excess fat from breast.
  3.  Place breast, skin side up, on counter. Using your fingers, carefully loosen and separate turkey skin from each side of breast. Peel back skin, leaving it attached at top and center of breast. Rub 1 tablespoon remaining harissa onto each side of breast, then place skin back over meat. Rub 1 tablespoon remaining harissa onto underside of breast cavity. Place turkey on large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour.
  4.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt, then arrange in even layer in Dutch oven. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon harissa. Place turkey, skin side up, on top of potatoes. Transfer pot to oven and roast, uncovered, until turkey registers 130 degrees, 1 to 1¼ hours.
  5.  Remove pot from oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. When oven reaches 500 degrees, return pot to oven and roast, uncovered, until turkey skin is deeply browned and breast registers 160 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes.
  6.  Remove pot from oven. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth; cover to keep warm.
  7.  Stir warm half-and-half and cilantro into potatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve turkey and serve with potatoes, passing reserved harissa separately.
Harissa-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Photography by Kevin White. Styling by Chantal Lambeth.

Harissa-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in turkey breast
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
⅓ cup half-and-half, warmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredients

½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in turkey breast
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
⅓ cup half-and-half, warmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredients

½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground dried Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in turkey breast
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
⅓ cup half-and-half, warmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

With our Dutch oven we could achieve not only a perfect roast turkey breast, but also a distinctive side dish to accompany it. We found inspiration for this complete meal in North Africa, where the chile paste known as harissa is a common condiment. We created our own harissa by blooming garlic, paprika, coriander, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and caraway seeds in oil. We then rubbed the mixture under the turkey's skin and let the bird rest for an hour in the fridge so the flavor could penetrate. For the side dish, we opted for earthy sweet potatoes, a common ingredient in many North African cuisines, and cut them into small pieces so they would cook at the same rate as the turkey. Putting the potatoes in the bottom of the Dutch oven and resting the turkey on top allowed them to soak up the turkey's flavorful juices and meant we didn't need to add any additional cooking liquid to the pot, which helped intensify the flavors. We roasted the turkey and potatoes uncovered at 325 degrees for an hour so the turkey could develop some browning, then we cranked the heat to 500 degrees at the end to deeply bronze the skin. While the breast rested, we mashed our potatoes to a smooth consistency, stirring in some half-and-half and cilantro before serving for a creamy, rich texture and a bit of fresh flavor.

Before You Begin

If you can't find Aleppo pepper, you can substitute ¾ teaspoon paprika and ¾ teaspoon finely chopped red pepper flakes. If using a self-basting turkey breast (such as a frozen Butterball) or kosher turkey, omit the salt in step 1.

Instructions

  1.  Microwave 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, paprika, coriander, Aleppo pepper, cumin, caraway seeds, and 1½ teaspoons salt in bowl until bubbling and very fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through microwaving. Let cool to room temperature. Measure out and reserve ¼ cup harissa for serving.
  2.  Place turkey breast on counter, skin side down. Using kitchen shears, cut through ribs, following vertical line of fat where breast meets back, from tapered end of breast to wing joint. Using your hands, bend back away from breast to pop shoulder joints out of sockets. Using paring knife, cut through joints between bones to separate back from breast; discard back. Trim excess fat from breast.
  3.  Place breast, skin side up, on counter. Using your fingers, carefully loosen and separate turkey skin from each side of breast. Peel back skin, leaving it attached at top and center of breast. Rub 1 tablespoon remaining harissa onto each side of breast, then place skin back over meat. Rub 1 tablespoon remaining harissa onto underside of breast cavity. Place turkey on large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour.
  4.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt, then arrange in even layer in Dutch oven. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon harissa. Place turkey, skin side up, on top of potatoes. Transfer pot to oven and roast, uncovered, until turkey registers 130 degrees, 1 to 1¼ hours.
  5.  Remove pot from oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. When oven reaches 500 degrees, return pot to oven and roast, uncovered, until turkey skin is deeply browned and breast registers 160 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes.
  6.  Remove pot from oven. Transfer turkey to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth; cover to keep warm.
  7.  Stir warm half-and-half and cilantro into potatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve turkey and serve with potatoes, passing reserved harissa separately.

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