The I'm-Sick-of-Chicken-So-I'm-Making-Turkey Grilled Herbed Turkey Recipe

I will branch out, I will branch out, I will branch out: this is what I have been internally chanting all week, ever since my kept-under-wraps chicken burn out. I just can't make it anymore. For a while, that is. I would love to make nice, light quinoa and chickpea salads, tofu and fresh vegetable stir fries, non-beef burgers of any kind, layered salads and chicken salads without mayo (yes, it's possible and delicious!), and...okay, so that last one was chicken, but it's the kind of chicken recipe that half of my family would never eat, so it counts. Regardless, I need new and different, but am met constantly by a big, brick wall called Some-Of-My-Relatives-Have-Limited-Food-Preferences, and until I own my own house and make the rules, I don't get to tell them to suck it up and either eat what I put in front of them, or don't eat.

I'm going to be such a compassionate parent.

So, turkey was my compromise to not-chicken-but-not-wild-and-crazy dinner. It was actually wonderful, and I only have two complaints: (1) my grocery store does not sell turkey cutlets not soaked in what they call "solution to maintain freshness" and I call "salt." (2) I cooked it too long because I was just too darn worried about serving raw turkey, a la my last attempt at turkey cutlets. In other words, the recipe was bursting with flavor and easy as pie to execute, and my complaints have absolutely nothing to do with the recipe itself. Speaking of the recipe...

Grilled Herbed Turkey, courtesy of Cuisine at Home eRecipes
Yield: 2 servings (4 if you follow my changes in parentheses)
The Ingredients: The Marinade
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves (omitted, regretfully: not even a teaspoon of dried could be found in the Floptimism cupboard)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano leaves (3 Tbsp. dried to kind of make up for the lack of parsley)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper (omitted the salt - I never salt my meat)
(Added: 1/2 Tbsp. dried Basil, again to try to supplement the parsley a little)
2 turkey tenderloins, about 12oz. each (I'm sorry, but no one person needs 12oz of turkey tenderloin for dinner. I got 4 cutlets, one for each person; you could also buy 2 turkey tenderloins of about 12oz. each and then, you know, cut each one in half to be more realistic on the protein front)
The Ingredients: The Sauce
1 strip bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon, which generates less fat and drippings, but I didn't find that to be a problem)
2 Tbsp. minced shallot (omitted - they couldn't be found in the store, apparently)
2/3 C dry white wine
2/3 C apple juice
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (I confess, I used Aunt Jemima - I just used less of it, about 1 Tbsp)
2 tsp. dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon (or, you know, 2 Tbsp. of the bottled stuff)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (I used salted)
1 tsp. all-purpose flour (I wound up using more than that - also, I learned with this recipe that you don't add flour to hot liquid without mixing it in with some cold water first.)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

The Method
1. Wash that turkey! Especially if yours comes in a saline solution as mine did, take the time to really rinse it. I don't know how much salt comes off, but boy did I scrub away in the hopes that it would!
2. Combine all of the marinade ingredients together in a plastic ziplock bag or pie dish (my favorite), and coat the turkey on all sides. Let marinate for 15 minutes (or more).
2. Coat the grill with nonstick spray (or don't, as I didn't), and preheat to medium.
3. Saute the bacon in a small pan over medium heat until crisp, about five minutes; drain on paper towels.
4. Add the shallot to the pan and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine and apple juice; simmer 3 minutes. Whisk in syrup, mustard, and lemon juice; bring to a simmer again.
5. Blend the butter and flour and whisk, whisk, whisk! into the sauce. Simmer (again) until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes (yeah, right!); season with (salt and) pepper.*
6. Grill the turkey over direct heat, covered (just realized I forgot that part...) for 8 minutes, and then flip, cover (forgot, again), and cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees (I actually whipped out my meat thermometer for this! And am convinced that it's wrong, because I pulled it off at "150F" and served slightly overcooked meat. Go figure).
7. If you're using tenderloins and not individual cutlets, let the turkey rest 15 minutes before slicing. Otherwise, just serve it as is!
8. Drizzle turkey cutlets or slices with the sauce and sprinkle with bacon and chives.

They suggest serving it alongside their Pattypan Squash & Pea recipe, but that's just way too out there for my family, so I gave them regular 'ole baked potatoes and, for the adventurous ones, green beans.

This is a very robustly flavored meal. It's sweet but savory, and maybe a little too herby if you take the dried route. I'm imagining it with apple cider instead of some or all of the juice, or adding stuffing and baking the turkey for a more autumn-themed dish. Regardless, this grilled turkey recipe is dirt easy to make and it pleased (most of) my family. I couldn't really ask for more.