Roasted Turkey with Yams & Cranberries

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only a few days away?!

I can't either.

Well don't leave your little one out of the festivities!



Today I'll be showing you a roasted version of this dish,
if you so happen to have a breast (or in my case a 1/2 breast)
but tomorrow I'll show you a stovetop version with ground turkey.

As you can see in the first photo,
this is perfect served sliced, in chunks or as a completely smooth puree.
My only advice is that if you make sure the cranberries are mashed or blended
thoroughly into the sweet potato.

Otherwise they'll knock your little's socks right off.
This is in the 8-10 month old section because of the cranberries,
substitute apples or pears and serve this to your 6-8 month old.


Note:  I got sidetracked and forgot to add the cranberries and apple juice to the turkey which is why my pictures are different- oops!

Roasted Turkey with Yam & Cranberries

1/2 turkey breast, mine was a small 1 1/2 lbs
4 large fresh sage leaves, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp olive oil (optional)
3/4 cup cranberries
1/3 cup apple juice
1 large yam or 2 small yams, about 1 1/2 lbs

Preheat your oven to 325°.

Wash your yam and prick it several times with a fork.

Place it on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven until it's easily pierced with a fork

or the skin begins to look loose.

If your yam isn't done when your turkey is, just remove the turkey 

and turn your oven up to 425° then continue baking until done.

Place your turkey breast in a small baking dish or pan.
I used a 8 x 8 inch pyrex.
Gently loosen the skin from the meat but do not remove.
Mix the garlic, sage and olive oil and smear it on the breast under the skin.
Place in the oven with a piece of foil sitting on top (but not sealed around the edges).
About 30 minutes into your roasting, add your cranberries and apple juice.
Roast until a thermometer, inserted into the thickest part reads 165°.
The time will differ depending on the size.
I'd do a check at about 1 hour 15 minutes and then keep an eye on it.
If for some reason your cranberries start to look dry then add more apple juice.

When the turkey, cranberries and yams are done let them cool a bit.

Slice your turkey and mash your cranberries and yams together for an older child.
or
Dice your turkey and mix it in with the mashed cran-yam.
or
Puree your turkey and crane and mix with fork-mashed yams.
or
Puree all of them together, adding apple juice if needed to reach the desired consistency.




*Variations
-If you have fresh rosemary and/or thyme, that would be perfect
-Onion powder or minced onion would also be good
-You could also do this with chicken breast
-For a sweeter variation (or for younger kids) use apple or pear instead of cranberry

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Turkey is a great source of protein as well as niacin, vitamin B6 and tryptothan which is an amino acid.

Yams are high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A, calcium and beta-carotene.
A little bit of fat helps the body absorb the beta-carotene so that olive oil might come in handy.

Cranberries are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and manganese.