Thanksgiving Roasted Capon

The first year that Claire was away for Thanksgiving, I was a bit lost, until I made Thanksgiving dinner for some of my friends who's children were also away.  This has become a ritual, and this year, with Claire home for Thanksgiving for the first time in a few years, I continued with the tradition.  Claire asked for a traditional turkey dinner including, stuffing, fall vegetables, cranberries, apple pie and pumpkin pie made from from a pumpkin  she picked from the garden. I compromised andI bought a large free range capon from the 100Mile Store, since I have never been a fan of turkey.

Last year, Claire made a turkey with friends for American Thanksgiving that she raved about, and so we applied what she remembered to this oversized capon. Bacon and apricots in the stuffing, but more interestingly, the stuffing squeezed between the skin and the breast, rather than in the bird cavity.  We had extra bacon and so wrapped the capon with a blanket of bacon.  The combination of the bacon clad bird with the stuffing under the skin resulted in a delicious and very moist capon.

Claire's Roasted Capon and Roasted vegetables as it came out of the oven

In addition, because one of our friends is celiac, we used gluten free bread for the stuffing, and potato flour for the gravy. A fabulous feast for all. 

9 to 11 pounds free range capon
1/2 pound of thinly sliced bacon
1 large organic orange
a selection of root vegetables including carrots, potatoes and onions
juice and zest from one orange

stuffing

2 shallots,
3 cloves of garlic
6 dried apricots
4 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 tablespoons of olive oil
juice of one orange,
zest from one orange
salt and pepper
a sprig of thyme
4 slices of gluten free whole wheat bread

stock/gravy

organs and neck from capon
onion
carrot
bay leaf
sprig of thyme
sprig of sage
4 cups of water

2 tablespoons of potato flour

Preheat ovem to 450F

Cut bacon into 1" pieces and cook until crisp in the frying pan.  Set cooked bacon aside and sauté finely chopped shallots and garlic in bacon fat.  Add olive oil if more fat is required.  Finely chop apricots, and crumble bread.  Mix all ingredients together in large bowl, and season with salt and pepper, and fresh thyme.   

Carefully lift skin at breast and stuff in as much stuffing as possible on both sides of the bird making sure that the bird remains symmetrical.  Take orange and puncture with a fork, and insert into the empty chest cavity of bird.  Cover breast of capon with strips of bacon, making a tight blanket for the bird. 

Place capon in roasting pan and surround with root vegetables.  

Place in oven and reduce heat to 350F.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes per pound.  If the bird is particularly large, you may need to protect legs and wings  and vegetables with foil during the final half of the cooking time.  Remove from oven when done, and the juices run clear.   

While bird is cooking, make stock with neck and organs of bird. 

Remove vegetables and bird from pan. Tent bird with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.  Place vegetables in bowl and stir in orange zest and juice. 

Separate fat from juices in bottom of roasting pan and return juices to roasting pan.   On Stove top, add 2 cups of stock  and or white wine and deglaze roasting pan.   Slowley mix about a 1/ cup of stock into the potato flour.  Wisk potato flour mixture into degalzing liquid in bottom of roasting pan and bring to boil. Cook until gravy thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.