Herb Butter Christmas Turkey

Brine

1. Start at least one day (and up to three days) before you intend to roast your turkey. Remove the giblets from the cavity, then pat dry well all over with paper towels both inside and outside
2. Cover the turkey with coarse sea salt.Place the salted turkey on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet to catch drippings or in your cooking pan. Refrigerate it uncovered for at least 1 hour per pound (14 hours for a 14-pound turkey). With dry brining, you can go up to three days of resting. If having a raw, uncovered turkey in your fridge feels uncomfortable, loosely cover it with plastic wrap or a brining bag. For the crispiest skin, uncover the turkey for at least the last six hours before cooking.There’s no need to rinse the turkey before roasting; there shouldn’t be any salt residue left.
3. Make the Greek stuffing.

Make the herb butter

1. Roughly chop the herbs with a sharp knife or in a food processor. Mix the chopped herbs ¾ of the softened butter.

Stuff and truss the turkey

1. Turn the turkey upside down and gently fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Once filled, carefully tuck the neck skin over the filling and secure it neatly against the underside of the turkey. You can sew it closed or use a long toothpick or skewer.Close the cavity. You can use a thread and a long thick needle or a long skewer with plenty of kitchen twine tied tightly on one end. Pierce the skin on the right side of this flap with the sharp point of the needle. Slide the needle and thread the loose skin from one side of the cavity to the other as tight as possible. Pass the needle through a couple of times if needed. Use the extra twine to tie the legs crossed tight over the cavity.Fold the wings under the turkey or cut them with poultry scissors. If you leave the wings as they are, wrap them with aluminum foil to avoid burning.

Roast

1. Gently lift the breast skin from the flesh as much as possible without tearing it. Insert some butter under the skin wherever you can. It's okay if you don't go too far in.Rub all the herb butter all over the turkey.
2. Arrange orange and lemon halves, herb sprigs, carrots and a couple of heads of garlic(cut the top off).
3. Lay the buttered turkey on top of the fruits, veggies and herbs. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast turkey at 200°C / 400°F for an hour.
4. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C / 355°F. Uncover and continue roasting.
5. In a cup, melt the rest of the butter and add some herbs to infuse it. Inject butter inside the thickest part of the thighs and breasts every half an hour of roasting.
6. When the melted butter in the cup is used, draw the buttery dripping from the bottom of the pan and inject it into the turkey.
7. A stuffed turkey should roast for 15 minutes per pound at 180°C / 355°F. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey is at 74°C / 165°F. Cover with foil and allow the roasted turkey to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Make the gravy

1. Pass the turkey drippings through a sieve and use it to make the gravy.
2. Heat ½ cup of the turkey drippings in a saucepan over medium-low heat for three minutes. Whisk the flour into the drippings until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the drippings and keep whisking.
3. Whisk the turkey stock into the flour mixture. Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking continuously, until the gravy is smooth and creamy, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your preference in consistency. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste and serve immediately.