Sunday Supper

There's a certain fondness I have for Sunday dinners. It doesn't matter what month of the year it is, when it comes to deciding what to make for Sunday dinner, you always want it to be a great meal. During winter, a slow-cooked pot roast or a hearty chicken stew is just the antidote to a cold and windy Sunday. During the spring and summer, dishes prepared from fresh vegetables and grilled meats are just what everyone is looking for to cool off. Unlike weekday dinners where ease of preparation is usually the deciding factor, Sunday dinners are meant to take time and effort. I treasure those Sundays when I can spend almost an entire afternoon in the kitchen preparing a hearty pot roast, assembling side dishes and baking a cake or pie for dessert.

Even if you dread going to work on Monday, you can forget about the upcoming week when you're preparing Sunday dinner. The smells emanating from the oven or stovetop really can help you think, "But it can't be Monday yet because we haven't had Sunday dinner." One of my favorite Sunday dinners is Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. Even if you think you've seen enough turkey from the past holiday season, you'll want to try this recipe. Since you're roasting a turkey breast, the cooking time is not as long as it would be if you're roasting a whole turkey.

RECIPE
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Serves 6 plus leftovers

• 5-pound turey breast (bone-in), rinsed and well dried
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fit a small roasting pan with a V-shaped rack. Drizzle oil over turkey breast, and season with salt and pepper. Center turkey breast on rack. Transfer to oven, and roast until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F. when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Transfer to a platter, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
2. Meanwhile, make the gravy: Remove the rack, and place roasting pan directly over a burner set on high heat. Add flour to pan, and whisk for 2 minutes, scraping up the pan drippings and incorporating all of the juices from the pan into the flour. Add water, and continue whisking until a smooth gravy forms, about 2 minutes. Serve gravy over turkey.