Makes 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 turkey (about 15 lb)
- 1 apple, quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large sprig thyme
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
Chestnut Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons/1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 1/2 lb day-old bread, cubed
- 1 cup chicken stock, warm
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage
- 2 1/4 cups shelled, peeled and roasted chestnuts, chopped (about 8 oz)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pan Gravy
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup small-dice yellow onion
- 1/2 cup small-dice carrot
- 1/2 cup small-dice celery
- 5 cups chicken broth
- Cornstarch slurry: 1/3 cup cornstarch combined with 1/3 cup cold water
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Stuff the turkey with the apple, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Rub the lemon juice over the entire surface of the bird and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Transfer to the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Roast, basting occasionally with the drippings that accumulate in the bottom of the pan, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the chestnut dressing, melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
- Combine the bread cubes, stock, and egg and add to the pan with the onion. Add the parsley, sage, chestnuts, salt, and pepper and mix well.
- Transfer the dressing to a buttered baking dish and cover with parchment paper. Bake until browned and heated through, about 45 minutes. Reserve in a warm place until ready to serve.
- Remove the turkey and the rack from the roasting pan, cover the bird with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 45 minutes.
- While the turkey is resting, make the pan gravy: Skim the fat from the top of the pan drippings, and combine the pan drippings with the onion, carrot, and celery in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the broth to the roasting pan and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add to the saucepan along with the remaining 4 1/2 cups broth. Simmer over medium heat until flavorful and slightly reduced, skimming away any fat that rises to the surface, 20 to 25 minutes. Gradually add the slurry to the simmering broth, whisking constantly, until the gravy has a sauce-like consistency. Simmer for 2 minutes more and then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Remove and discard the apple, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley from inside the turkey. Carve the turkey and serve with the pan gravy and dressing.
