Turkey. The other bird meat.

I love to eat bird. It is healthy, and mostly a blank palate on which to lavish wonderful flavors. I especially like to bread it for some reason. How boring is that? I know, trust me. So, as a result of this tendency to bread my breast of bird, I have had to come up with fun new flavors to add into the mix. Throw a little cayenne pepper into the breadcrumbs, maybe some parmesan cheese, that type of thing. But these tricks, while effective, did little to really add to the taste of the bird, to help form the meal. I had to get creative. So, creative I did. I played around with several ideas, and mostly, they turned out kind of wrong. Finally, after many no so tasty dinners that JP dutifully sat through, it totally dawned on me. I was adding the flavor to the wrong part of the dish. When you add the extras to the breadcrumbs, while the flavors are more robust, they aren't really in the meat. But, when you add the flavors to the meat in the form of a mini-marinade a la egg wash, presto! So, with that in mind, I started to play around until I finally hit on a great, and surprising subtle, flavor combination. 

Rosemary and mustard work shockingly well together, in case you didn't know that. There is something about the sharp tang of the mustard that just works very much in harmony with the wonderful earthy taste of rosemary. I think it also has to do with the smells as well. I truly think that you eat with more than just you sense of taste. Also, I am obsessed with using a wholegrain mustard with dijon. I think it was a Giada De Laurentiis recipe that first got me started doing that; now I just can't quit! Well, it might have been Ina Garten. I'm not exactly sure to tell you the truth. I do know that it wasn't Paula Deen.

Also, lemon juice is a wonderful thing too. And I have absolutely no shame in using the stuff from the bottle. Saves me all that time squeezing and stuff for just a few splashes. It's ok; go ahead and pick up a bottle. No one will be any the wiser. Unless you take photos with the bottle in the background and then post said pictures to the interwebs.

So, back to the meat. I used turkey in this, but it would work just as well with chicken. And pork, actually. Whatever you choose to use, just make sure to submerge the meat in the egg mixture for at least 30 or so minutes. It really really helps.

I know this sounds odd, but for this version of breaded turkey, I would actually recommend that you use a plain breadcrumb. Yes, you read that correctly! It allows all the flavors of the rosemary and mustard to show through, as well as the flavor of the turkey. Sometimes the italian breadcrumbs just have too much of an intense flavor about them the overwhelms the other flavors in this. Also, turkey. How underrated is that? I mean, other than holidays, how often do you actually have turkey for dinner? If you are at my house, I would say about 2 to 4 times a month. I love it. It just has a more interesting flavor and texture than chicken, and you all know I love me some chicken!

Something I wanted to make sure you take note of: watch the pan. Sometimes I forget this, and then things get a little too hot. Oops. I told JP it was just extra flavor. He bought it, I think. Either way, make sure to not have the heat up too high like I did when you make this... you want it golden brown, not slightly burnt. If, however, you do overdo it a bit, don't panic! Just grab the spatula and flip em over and reduce the heat. It'll be fine.

See, look at all that 'flavor' on that. Yummers. 

Serve with some vegetables, and maybe those roasted mashed potatoes that I showed you the other day. Thats what I did, and it rocked out. 

xoxo Craig

Keep reading for the recipe

Mustard &Rosemary Turkey Breast

What you need:

• 2 turkey breast steaks, about 1/4" thick
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 large stem of rosemary, finely chopped
• breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, mustards, lemon juice, rosemary and salt and pepper. Submerge the turkey breasts into the egg mixture and let soak for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat a skillet over medium-medium high heat. Meanwhile, put a few cups of breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Take the turkey and coat it with breadcrumbs. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan, enough to coat with a very thin layer, about 3 tablespoons. Place the turkey in the pan, making sure not to crowd them, and cook until golden brown on each side, about 7 minutes.