Instructions

1. To dry-brine your turkey: remove the turkey from its wrappings and set aside the neck, gizzard, liver, heart and any other organs. (Reserve these for gravy-making!) Use paper towels to pat the turkey dry. Rub the salt all over the turkey, both under (be careful not tear it) and over the skin, and in the cavity. (You may not need the full 1/4 cup.) Refrigerate, uncovered for up to 1 day, or loosely covered for up to 3 days.
2. In a large blender or food processor, combine the butter, olive oil, shallot, the leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, 5 leaves fresh sage and the leaves from 1 sprig of thyme. Pulse until the ingredients form a coarse paste. Stir in the pepper. (You can make this butter up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate if making ahead, and let it come to room temperature before using.)
3. Remove the turkey from the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, to take a bit of the chill off. Preheat the oven to 325F.
4. Spread the pancetta-herb butter all over the turkey, sliding your hand carefully under the skin to rub the butter directly on the breasts and thighs (this is all kinds of gross, but SO worth it). Place the remaining herb sprigs in the main cavity of the turkey, along with 4 shallot halves.
5. Arrange the remaining shallots, carrots and celery sticks in the bottom of your roasting pan so that they form a vegetable trivet.
6. Place the turkey upside down (breast-side down) in the roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, then carefully flip the turkey. (I’ve found that sticking a wooden spoon in the main cavity and another wooden spoon in the neck cavity is the easiest way to go about this.)
7. Turn the oven up to 400F. Roast for an additional 75-90 minutes.* Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness — insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. It should read 165F. Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a carving board or serving platter. Loosely tent tin foil over it and let it rest for 30 minutes while you heat up sides and make the gravy.