Special Offer-Roast Turkey with Chestnuts (a traditional Christmas recipe)

　　Preparation time: 20 minutes

　　Cooking time: 45-50 min per kg (about 20-25 min/lb.)

　　Cost: Reasonable

　　Difficulty: Easy

　　Hints and tips

　　Allow about 45 to 50 minutes per kilogram (20-25 minutes per pound); a turkey is usually cooked at moderately low heat (160° C/325° F) and needs to be basted frequently.

　　Once the turkey begins to brown, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminium foil; remove the foil 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

　　Accompaniments

　　Serve with potatoes cut into spheres or footballs, sautéed in butter, Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots and boiled buttered peas.

　　Ingredients

1. 1 very large turkey
   
2. Butter
   
3. Fatty bacon
   
4. Chestnut stuffing
   
5. 250 g (9 oz.) plain chestnut puree
   
6. 50 g (2 oz.) butter
   
7. Turkey giblets (heart and liver), coarsely chopped
   
8. 250 g (9 oz.) mushrooms, coarsely chopped
   
9. 1 onion, minced
   
10. 1 celery stalk, 'strings' removed, chopped
    
11. 3 tbsp. cream
    
12. 50 g (2 oz.) dry or fresh bread crumbs
    
13. Salt and pepper

　　Method

1. Empty the turkey cavity; brush the turkey inside and out with soft or melted butter and cover with thin strips of bacon, particularly around the legs which tend to dry out;
   
2. prepare the stuffing: in a skillet, melt the butter;
   
3. add the onion, giblets and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes; place the mixture into a bowl and add the other ingredients; mix well and stuff the turkey with the mixture;
   
4. pull the skin over the opening and sew or skewer it closed so that the stuffing does not escape during cooking;
   
5. roast in a preheated oven, calculating the cooking time according to the weight of the turkey.