Remove neck and giblets (the heart, liver, and gizzard) from chest cavity.
Remove wire that holds drumsticks in place by pushing down on drumsticks and squeezing wire. Next, fold wing tips behind bird to allow turkey to cook more evenly. Season bird all over with salt and pepper, being sure to season inside the cavity as well. Rub skin with butter or vegetable oil. Stuff cavity with halved lemons, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, sage sprigs, and bay leaves. Truss the legs to close the cavity.
Set a rack (a non-stick v-rack is best) in a shallow roasting pan. Oil the rack. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack. Add 2 to 4 cups water or broth to roasting pan. Place roasting pan in preheated oven.
Lower oven temperature to 325°F for a conventional oven (300°F for a convection oven).
Roast turkey according to roasting chart below. If any part of turkey is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Use a probe thermometer to test internal temperature of thickest parts of breast and thigh. Turkey is cooked when the thermometer reads 165°F.
Before carving, let turkey stand at room temperature about 20 minutes. This allows the meat to rest so you will have a more tender, juicy bird. (See Turkey Carving Techniques) After resting, lemon halves and other aromatics can be removed from cavity and discarded.
