Dry Brined Whole Turkey with French Herbs and White Wine

Ingredients

Turkey
(Carrots, onions, celery and giblets under turkey, optional)
One 12-14 pound young turkey (about 5.5 -7 kg)
¼ cup room temperature butter (60 ml)
6 sprigs each of fresh thyme and tarragon, chopped
2 ½ Tbsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. (5 ml) freshly cracked black pepper
1 whole lemon cut into 1/8ths
4 whole cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (15 ml)
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 tsp. sweet paprika (5 ml)
1 cup dry white wine (250 ml)
Extra water if pan is dry

Gravy

2 cups turkey broth (500 ml)
2 Tbsp. corn starch (25 ml)
Sprigs of herbs, for garnish, optional

Do not rinse the turkey before roasting or the skin will not crisp during roasting. Kosher salt is the only variety that will brine the bird properly.

Directions

24 hours prior to roasting, remove little bag of giblets and turkey neck from turkey cavity. For adding additional flavour to pan drippings, roast neck, giblets and vegetables in pan under turkey. Ensure that the bottom shelf of your fridge fits your turkey and is available overnight.
Combine the soft butter with 1 Tbsp. of the freshly chopped herbs and some pepper. Loosen the skin under the breast meat carefully with hands, at the neck end of turkey. Place the soft butter under the skin on both sides of breast meat and press skin down to distribute butter evenly.
Combine the kosher salt and ground pepper together and blend. With bird in a roasting pan, preferably on a rack, sprinkle 2 tsp. of mixture inside of turkey cavity. Sprinkle another 2 tsp. over legs and wings, making sure to sprinkle from a height to ensure light dusting. Lastly, sprinkle the remainder of salt mixture evenly over breast area with a light dusting. Transfer to fridge and let brine uncovered for 24 - 28 hours.
The following day, preheat the oven at 325°F and remove turkey from fridge. DO NOT rinse or skin will not crisp up. Stuff cavity with several sprigs of fresh herbs, 1 lemon cut into eighths and 2 cloves of garlic.
Drizzle with olive oil to allow herbs to stick. Combine the remaining chopped herbs and grated lemon zest together and sprinkle over entire surface of turkey. Sprinkle with paprika. Pour white wine around turkey and add the 2 other garlic cloves and roast, breast side up, at 325°F, until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 170°F., approximately 2 ½ - 3 hours. At the midway mark if pan is dry add a cup of water to prevent scorching. Note that time can vary. Remove from the oven and let rest for 40 minutes - 1hour before carving.

Gravy

Remove the turkey onto a cutting board and let rest. While turkey is resting, add more water to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat if your roaster can be heated on the stove top. Drain out pan drippings into a fat separator and discard most of the fat. Pour the drippings, the additional turkey broth – mixed with corn starch to dissolve – over medium heat in a saucepan on stovetop. Whisk mixture over medium high heat until just glossy and slightly reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Pour into a serving or coffee thermos, if desired to keep warm.
Slice turkey and serve with gravy