Perfect roast turkey

We brined our turkey for 24 hours, so leave plenty of time for this recipe. If you don’t brine yours, skip steps 1 and 2. The USDA recommends cooking the turkey until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180F. For a moister bird, we cooked ours to 165F; it continues to cook outside the oven as it rests.

3 cups coarse salt, plus more for seasoning

5 cups sugar

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed and coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

2 dried bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper

1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck reserved for Gravy

1 / 2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 / 4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

Chestnut Stuffing

Crab apples, fresh rosemary sprigs, and fresh sage, for garnish (optional)

• Put the salt, sugar, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and 10 cups water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat; let the brine cool completely.
• Add the turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from the brine; pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425F, with a rack in the lowest position. Stir together the melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheesecloth into quarters so it is large enough to cover the breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey. Immerse the cloth in the butter mixture; let soak while you prepare the turkey.
• Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Fold the wing tips under the turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper inside the turkey. Loosely fill the body and neck cavities with stuffing. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Fold the neck flap under; secure with toothpicks. Rub the turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the cheesecloth from the butter mixture, squeezing gently into a bowl. Reserve the butter mixture for brushing. Lay the cheesecloth over the turkey. Place the turkey, legs first, in the oven. Roast 30 minutes. Brush the cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350F. Roast, brushing every 30 minutes, 2 1/ 2 hours more; cover with foil if browning too quickly. If making gravy, add the giblets and neck to the pan 1 1/ 2 hours after reducing the temperature; roast 30 minutes, and reserve.
• Discard the cheesecloth; rotate the pan. Baste the turkey with the pan juices. Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180F and stuffing reaches 165F, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter. Set the pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let the turkey stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

SERVES 12 TO 14