Whole Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

From the garden

• 1 medium sugar or pie pumpkin, 3 to 4 lb, lid cut off and seeded
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped

From the pantry

• 5 cups crusty bread, torn into 3/4-inch cubes
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1½ cups sharp cheddar or Gruyère, coarsely grated
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg · freshly grated if you have a whole one
• 1 tbsp olive oil · for rubbing the outside
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut a lid from the pumpkin at a slight inward angle so it drops back into place, scrape the cavity clean of seeds and strings, and salt the inside walls.
2. Toast the bread cubes on a sheet pan 10 minutes, until dry and barely colored. Bread left out overnight is already there and can go straight into the bowl.
3. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6–8 minutes. Soften the onion in the fat with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme for a final minute.
4. Toss the bread, the whole skillet of bacon and onion, and the cheese together with the nutmeg, salt, and plenty of pepper. Pack it into the pumpkin, then pour the cream over so it seeps down through.
5. Rub the outside with the olive oil, set the lid back on, and bake on a lined sheet pan 75 minutes, until a knife slides into the pumpkin wall with no resistance.
6. Pull the lid off and bake 20 minutes more to brown the top. Rest 10 minutes, then serve by scooping straight down through filling and flesh so every plate gets both.