Tarragon is the secret ingredient in the honey-mustard coating for these quick-cooking turkey cutlets. It adds lovely licorice notes that elevate without overwhelming.
Our turkey cutlets were obtained at Zook’s Meats in the Newtown Farmer’s Market. Inquiring at their meat counter if they had any turkey cutlets, the woman showed Russ a fresh boneless, skinless breast and suggested she could cut it down for us however we wanted. And she did just that at no extra cost.
Each cutlet was placed between saran wrap and pounded thin.
Once the cutlets were pounded, I realized they were too big and cut them in half.
I did still pound them down to about an 1/8″ thick. Then they were so large I cut each of three cutlets in half, producing six total. Unfortunately, I also had to make 50% more of the mustard marinade because the original amount only covered 4 pieces. We had enough tarragon growing in our herb garden so it was no bother to go out and cut some more.
To plate, we arranged a larger bed of the salad before placing the turkey cutlet on top. After which we crowned the meat with a smaller helping of salad. I knew I was going to like this dish based on the ingredients, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I did actually like it!
We had three cutlets left over, so the following evening (our usual leftovers night) I made more of the same arugula salad (love the peppery bite), slightly reheated the meat, and we had an instant dinner.
Ingredients are prepped to make the salad.
A mustard vinaigrette consists of whole-grain mustard, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, and tarragon.
After dredging through flour, each cutlet is then washed in the mustard vinaigrette.
The cutlets are browned for a few minutes on each side in a hot skillet.
We plated ours with the salad on top and bottom of the meat.
Honey-Mustard Turkey Cutlets with Arugula, Carrot and Celery Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
- 1 Tbs. honey
- 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 4 6-oz. turkey cutlets, pounded to 1/8 inch thick
- 2 Tbs. canola oil; more as needed
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 oz. baby arugula (2 packed cups)
- 2 medium celery ribs, trimmed and sliced 1/8 inch thick on the diagonal
- 1 medium carrot, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
Directions
- Combine the flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the mustard, honey, 2 Tbs. of the lemon juice, and 2 tsp. of the tarragon.
- Dredge each turkey cutlet in the flour mixture and then the mustard mixture. Transfer to a wax-paper- or parchment-lined baking sheet or tray.
- Heat 1 Tbs. of the canola oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add two cutlets and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes total.
- Transfer to a clean plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining 1 Tbs. canola oil and the remaining cutlets.
- Whisk the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil, 1 Tbs. lemon juice, cumin, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, celery, and carrots; toss with enough of the dressing to lightly coat.
- Serve the cutlets topped with the salad, sprinkled with the remaining tarragon, and drizzled with any remaining dressing.
Recipe by Ronne Day from Fine Cooking
Accounting for Taste 