Maple Bacon Roast Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 14-lb turkey, preferably grain fed (giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock)
• 5 quarts water
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 5 star anise
• ¼ cup salt
• 7 cloves
• 1 lb unsalted butter
• 6-9 bacon slices
• 4 cups mire poix
• salt & pepper

For the gravy:

• Pan juices reserved from turkey
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups turkey giblet stock
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot and add the maple syrup, cloves, salt and star anise. Return to a boil and turn the heat off. Let the brine liquid return to room temperature
2. Put the turkey into the brine liquid, making sure it seeps into the large cavity. Add more water if you have to. Put it in the fridge overnight to soak
3. Preheat your oven to 350°F
4. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat it dry. Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Loosely fill neck cavity with some of stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with a small skewer
5. Loosely fill body cavity with some stuffing and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string or tuck them under the fatty flap to hold.
6. Stick a long handled spoon into the stuffing
7. Scatter the mire poix around a large low-sided roasting pan and place the bird on top of the mire poix.
8. Slather the turkey with lots of unsalted butter. Top with slices of bacon. Roast turkey in middle of oven for about 3 hours. Make sure you baste the bird every 20 minutes or so with the pan drippings.
9. Remove the bacon and continue to cook for about another hour, or until a thermometer inserted in center of stuffing in body cavity registers 165°F (thigh will be about 180°F).
10. Transfer the big juicy turkey to a platter and tent with foil for at least 20 minutes to allow the juices to settle.
11. Carve and serve immediately with gravy (recipe below), veggies, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Sit back and wait for the applause

To make the gravy:

1. Add the giblets and 6 cups of cold water to a sauce pot along with salt & pepper and a bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour and a half or until reduced by a half, skimming the surface every now and then to remove scum and impurities. Pour through a fine sieve and return to heat to keep warm.
2. Skim fat from pan juices and reserve 1/4 cup fat.
3. Add the white wine to roasting pan and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits.
4. Return fat and flour to roasting pan and stir to incorporate. Continue stirring and cooking for about 4 minute or till you get a nice golden brown roux (fancy word for paste)
5. Add remaining hot stock to roux in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain into a sauce pot through a fine sieve, pressing down on the veggies to extract all the juices.
6. Stir in additional juices from turkey platter and season gravy with salt and pepper.