Bacon Balsamic Turkey

I know it’s only the beginning of September, but I’m already preparing for Thanksgiving. Actually, I have already tried all the recipes that I plan on preparing this year. It may seem like I’m a perfectionist – trust me, I’m not – I thought I’d change up my recipes this year instead of the same old boring plain turkey.

I have had so much success with my balsamic vinaigrette and bacon as sauces for steak and noodles, that I thought I’d try it out as a marinade for my Thanksgiving turkey as well! And, just as all the times before, it made the dish I prepared taste better. The turkey came out very soft, moist, and flavorful. It was actually hard to stop eating when usually I eat turkey for Thanksgiving simply because it’s Thanksgiving and that’s when you eat turkey. Otherwise, I avoid it year round because it’s so dry.
It seems that all the turkey needed was a little bacon – well, maybe a lot of bacon – but who’s counting?
So, try something new this Thanksgiving and you will get rave reviews!
Ingredients:
marinade*:
1/4 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
1 Tablespoon of fresh Thyme
1.5 teaspoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon of yellow Mustard
1 teaspoon of Juice (grape or apple) – optional
1 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar (with only 6% acidity)
1/3 Cup of Olive Oil
Turkey:
250 grams of raw Bacon slices
2 Turkey legs & 1 thigh
Directions:
In a mortar crush salt and pepper with a pestle. Add the thyme and crush until the leaves have come apart. Add the grated Parmesan and crush into the mixture. Stir in the mustard, juice, and then the balsamic vinegar. Finally, whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.
In a skillet (preferable cast iron – it heats up more evenly) cook the bacon on medium heat until it’s crispy (but not burnt). Remove the bacon to a cutting board, crush or chop, and then return to pan and continue to cook until it’s hot again. Once hot, pour in the vinaigrette – watch for splatter! Stir, and let the dressing reduce until it has thickened a bit. Set aside and let it cool until you can handle it.
In the mean time, preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F).
Lift the skin from the chicken without tearing it off – you just want to be able to rub some marinade underneath the skin.
Place the turkey parts in a large glass casserole dish. Once the marinade has cooled, spoon half of the marinade underneath the skin of the turkey and rub it in. Place the skin back the way it was, and then pour the remaining marinade over the turkey and rub in.
Bake for 20 minutes, then open the oven (watch for steam!), and brush the marinade from the casserole dish onto the turkey. Repeat this every 15 minutes until the turkey has cooked for a total of 1 hour or the meat has reached an inner temperature of 88°C (190°F).
Remove the turkey from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil for 15-20 minutes.