My 2019 Christmas Card + Holiday Recipes

A family favorite is my bacon mustard maple glazed turkey with roasted root veggies (way easier than it sounds). We have some diet restrictions (no dairy or gluten) in our family but of course this is easily adaptable to whatever your tastes are. Afterwards the leftover root veggies we add bone broth to and blend into a soup! So good.

Ingredients:
18 – 20 lb pound turkey (we like the leftovers)
1 cup real maple syrup
2 heaping tbsp. of Dijon mustard
2 sticks of unsalted vegan butter (earth balance in the sticks), room temp
½ bunch of sage leaves, finely chopped
8-12 strips of uncured smoked bacon
Salt/pepper
2 garlic bulbs, tops trimmed off
Bunch of poultry seasoning herbs, tied
2 Onions, peeled and cut in half
Apple, cut in half or quarters depending on size
Small orange, cut in half
3-4 Large Carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut in chunks
2 sweet potatoes
3-4 Parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut in chunks
3-4 Beets, peeled and quartered (I normally get the gold ones if I can just so all the veggies aren’t died red but no big deal)
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

Prepare the sage butter: Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper. Place on a piece of cling film in a line and roll into a log shape and put back in the fridge to harded. (Can be done a couple of days early. When ready to use, unroll it and slice it into ½” slices.)
Prepare the veggies as stated and toss with a little salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Prepare the Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, dijon mustard and a small amount of hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes.

Prepare the turkey: Rinse and pat dry the turkey. Season the cavity liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with one onion, one garlic bulb, apple, orange and bunch of poultry seasoning. Gently lift the skin from the meat with your fingers and stuff it with the slices of sage butter. Sprinkle the skin of the turkey with salt and pepper.

Cook the turkey: Place the veggies in the bottom of a large/deep roasting pan and toss with a small amount of salt and pepper. Place a turkey rack over the veggies and put the turkey on top and place the pan in the oven on the lowest rack for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. This turkey should take around 3 hours to cook. Remember to baste every 30 minutes with glaze. After about 2 hours of cooking, add the vegetables under the turkey and then lay the strips of bacon across the top of the turkey. Continue to cook and baste until the meatiest part of the thigh registers at 170 degrees. Remove and let the turkey cool to allow the juices to reincorporate into the meat.

I want one of these next Christmas! ?