Move your oven rack to the lowest position and remove any other racks. If you have a baking stone or steel, place it in the middle of the rack. Preheat your oven to 500°F/260°C for at least 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.

Prepare the turkey by removing any plastic pieces holding the legs together and remove the neck and bag with any organs that might be included in the cavity. Clean out any debris in the cavity and using paper towels, pat all the skin dry inside and out of the turkey. Now trim any excess skin coming out of the cavity and from the neck, reserve any of the trimmings for later. Loosen the skin from the breasts enough that you can get your fingers underneath without tearing it.

Melt one stick of unsalted butter and mix in the chopped herbs and minced garlic, set aside to cool. Mix some kosher salt and black pepper together and rub it all over the turkey, inside and out, and under the loosened skin. Now take your cooled herb-butter and rub it all over the turkey just like you did with the salt and pepper.

Place the turkey breast side up in a rack set into your roasting pan and place the roasting pan into the oven on top of the baking stone if using. Close the oven and turn the temperature down to 325°F/165°C. This initial blast of heat will help start browning the turkey skin and drying it out to become crispy. The high heat will also take awhile to reduce to 325, boosting the cooking process.

While the turkey is cooking, begin working on the gravy. Since the vegetables are mostly there for flavoring, you only need to roughly chop them instead of a small dice. Heat some oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, turkey neck, and any trimmings you cut from the turkey, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to brown, 10-12 minutes.

Add 6 cups of stock to the pot along with a bay leaf or two, remove the trimmings you added, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let reduce for about an hour, skimming any fat or scum from the top. After an hour or so, remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl, toss the solids out. The stock should have reduced to about 4 cups, if not, return to the pot and continue to reduce. If you reduced it too much, add some more stock so that it equals 4 cups.

In the meantime, check on your turkey at least once an hour, spooning any butter drippings over the top of the turkey. Depending on the size of your turkey, you’ll want to start checking on the temperature at about the two-hour mark. Check both the breast and the thigh for temperature readings. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the deepest part of the breast and into the thigh on the inside of the drumstick (leg). Remove the turkey when the breast registers around 155°F/68°C and the thigh is about 165°F/74°C. If the turkey is getting a little too dark and not close to being done, tent with foil.

After you remove the turkey from the oven, transfer to baking sheet with a wire rack and pour most of the melted butter from the roasting pan over the turkey, then cover with foil. The temperature will continue to rise from carry-over cooking, and you’ll want to let the turkey rest for at least 30-40 minutes before carving.

While the turkey rests, finish making the gravy. Pour at least half of the stock you made into the roasting pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any fond left behind on the bottom of the pan. Pour it back into the large measuring cup or bowl through a fine mesh strainer again.

Set a medium sized saucepan or pot on the stove on medium-high heat. Add the reserved 4 tablespoons of butter and melt. If you’re using the giblets and organs, finely chop them and add them to the butter. Once melted, add the flour and whisk constantly to create a roux. Cook until the roux is a light golden-brown color, about 3-4 minutes. Now, slowly pour the stock into the roux, whisking constantly. Once all the stock is incorporated, bring the mix to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. The gravy will thicken more as it starts to cool as well. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Once the turkey has rested, serve with the gravy how you’d like. You can add some stuffing and serve the whole turkey table side or carve the turkey and serve on a platter.