Ingredients

Step by step

1. To make the dry brine, pulse the salt in a processor to make it finer, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Untruss your turkey, put it in a large dish and massage the spiced salt all over the turkey. Cover loosely, then place in the fridge for 24-36 hours, turning once or twice.
2. When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the fridge, brush off the dry brine and transfer the bird to a roasting tin. Leave to stand at room temperature for an hour.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Rub the butter all over the skin and roast for 1½-2 hours, basting occasionally. Cover loosely with foil if the skin starts getting too dark.
4. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer or sharp knife and check that the juices are running clear; if not, test again after another 15-20 minutes.
5. Transfer the turkey to a carving dish, cover and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes before carving. However, if you cover it with foil and then folded tea towels to keep the heat in, it will stay hot for at least a couple of hours.
6. Pour the roasting juices out into a saucepan and skim off the excess fat. Add the white wine to the roasting tin and stir over a low heat to release all the lovely meaty bits from the bottom of the tin, then scrape all this into the saucepan. Reduce down by a third, then lower the heat. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking so that the butter emulsifies and thickens the sauce.
7. Strain the sauce through a sieve then add the parsley and lemon juice to taste. Serve with the carved turkey and all the trimmings.
   Tip

   You can dry-brine any meat or poultry. Try it with large steaks or a chicken.