Pat the bird dry inside and out and allow it to air-dry on the counter for at least 1 ½ hours. This will bring the bird to room temperature and allow the skin to dry out enough so that it can crisp up nicely during roasting.

Set the oven rack to the lowest position in the oven (you may have to remove a rack). Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Place the turkey on the roasting rack inside of a large pan. Gently loosen the skin away from the breast meat and rub the softened butter mixture (or dairy-free option) all over the breast and under the skin, getting as far as you can while taking great care not to tear the skin. Rub any remaining butter all over the outside of the bird and on the breast and legs. Season the bird generously with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

In medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the turkey cavity: apples, onion, citrus halves, cinnamon stick, rosemary, sage, and salt. Fill the turkey cavity with the mixture. Tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Place an oven-safe thermometer (preferably a digital one) in the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone of the turkey. Place the turkey in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes

While the turkey is roasting, mix together all of the ingredients for basting in a medium saucepan: apple cider, butter, brandy, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. After 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

After 30 minutes of roasting the turkey, lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Baste the turkey with the hot basting mixture. At this point, pour 1 cup of liquid (water or broth) into the bottom of the roasting pan. This will prevent the sugars in the basting liquid from burning in the pan and create a steam-like effect to keep the breast meat moist while not preventing browning.

Baste the turkey every 30 minutes with both the basting liquid and the pan juices. Turn the turkey to face the other direction halfway through cooking since most ovens have hot spots. This will help promote even cooking. If you find the bird to be browning too quickly or too much in one area, tent the bird loosely with foil in the browned areas. Remove the foil during basting, then replace.

When the thigh meat has reached 155-160ºF, remove the turkey from the oven and roasting pan. Place the bird on a cutting board and cover it loosely with foil. An 18-pound bird should take from 2 ½ – 3 hours to cook. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, gently warm 3-4 cups of the turkey or chicken broth. Place the roasting pan across 2 burners, if possible, and pour in the apple brandy. Deglaze the bottom of the pan over medium heat. Once the bottom of the pan is scraped clean, pour the pan juices from the roasting pan into a fat separator and set aside. Fat will rise to the top as the liquid cools. The dark drippings, the flavorful part, will stay at the bottom. If not using a separator, spoon the fat from the top after it settles.

Pour the pan juices (minus the fat) into the warm broth mixture. In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider and cornstarch until smooth. Pour this mixture into the broth mixture. Whisk constantly, using a figure-8 motion, to avoid lumps. The gravy will begin to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, strain any lumps or larger pieces of drippings from the gravy before serving.