Roasted Turkey With Toasted-Chestnut Stuffing

David and Laura Shea, Applewood’s husband-and-wife team (he’s the chef, she runs the place), heap seasonal favorites upon seasonal favorites. All market-driven, and aided by an old-fashioned secret: lots of butter and cream. It’s Thanksgiving, David says. “Why count calories?”

Ingredients

1 12-pound turkey, whole (reserve the neck and giblets for the stuffing)
1 onion, peeled and left whole
2 fresh bay leaves
1 bunch thyme
2 pounds mirepoix (3 medium onions, 3 carrots, and 4 celery stalks, cut into ½-inch dice)
½ cup canola oil
Salt
½ pound butter, room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the bird and dry it well with paper towels; stuff the onion, bay leaves, and thyme into the cavity. Spread the diced vegetables over the bottom of a roasting pan, and set the bird on top. Add a little water to the pan, and rub oil over the entire bird, then season generously with salt. Place the turkey in the oven; after 30 minutes, rotate the bird, rub with half the butter, and reduce the temperature to 375. After another hour, remove the bird and slash the skin between the legs and body to expose the inner thigh. Rub remaining butter over the bird, and return to oven (tent with foil if skin becomes too dark). Continue roasting for a further 30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Remove the turkey from the oven, and let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place before carving. (Published 2009)