While our Thanksgiving menus are decidedly non-traditional, I decided to go ultra-traditional with a roasted goose being the centerpiece of our Christmas Eve dinner. One of my friends from high school is also making a goose this year; I'm sure we'll be swapping our challenges and our successes. This was delicious and moist!
Never having roasted a goose. I did a lot of reading while the goose defrosted for a day and a half, debating on cooking technique. In the end, my goose is the product of a multitude of recipes.
Step One: defrost the bird...oh, after you recover from your coronary of paying for the thing! Kathey mentioned that hers was pricey. Mine was, too, but it was worth it.
Step Two: To brine or not to brine? I opted not to brine, but I did rub our 11-pound bird with truffle salt and let it sit for 4 hours.
Step Three: Stuff. I am not a fan of stuffing cooked inside a bird. Can you say botulism?!? So, I stuff with whatever I have on hand to help my roast keep its shape. For this I used a whole pomegranate and two Meyer lemons. Also, in calculating cooking time, what I read instructed: 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes per pound. I cooked ours for 4-1/2 hours.
Step Four: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I opted to steam the goose for the first hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 350. Place 2 C of coffee and 4 halved lemons in the bottom of your roasting pan. Use something to keep the bird off the bottom of the pan; I placed mine on top of half a dozen watermelon radishes. Cover and roast for an hour.
Step Five: 2nd hour of cooking...I squeezed the juice from the roasted lemons over the bird and drained off the fat rendered during the first hour. Return to the oven, covered, for another hour.
Step Six: 3rd and 4th hours of cooking...drain off fat again. And return it to the oven for another 90 to 120 minutes. Baste with cooking liquid every 30 minutes.
Step Seven: Brown. For the last 30 minutes of roasting, rub butter over the exposed skin and return it to the oven uncovered. In the end, my goose was not very photogenic - the skin split over the breast, but it was amazingly tasty.
Step Eight: Carve and serve with gravy, stuffing, and whatever else you want.
Merry Christmas!
Never having roasted a goose. I did a lot of reading while the goose defrosted for a day and a half, debating on cooking technique. In the end, my goose is the product of a multitude of recipes.Step One: defrost the bird...oh, after you recover from your coronary of paying for the thing! Kathey mentioned that hers was pricey. Mine was, too, but it was worth it.
Step Two: To brine or not to brine? I opted not to brine, but I did rub our 11-pound bird with truffle salt and let it sit for 4 hours.
Step Three: Stuff. I am not a fan of stuffing cooked inside a bird. Can you say botulism?!? So, I stuff with whatever I have on hand to help my roast keep its shape. For this I used a whole pomegranate and two Meyer lemons. Also, in calculating cooking time, what I read instructed: 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes per pound. I cooked ours for 4-1/2 hours.
Step Four: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I opted to steam the goose for the first hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 350. Place 2 C of coffee and 4 halved lemons in the bottom of your roasting pan. Use something to keep the bird off the bottom of the pan; I placed mine on top of half a dozen watermelon radishes. Cover and roast for an hour.
Step Five: 2nd hour of cooking...I squeezed the juice from the roasted lemons over the bird and drained off the fat rendered during the first hour. Return to the oven, covered, for another hour.
Step Seven: Brown. For the last 30 minutes of roasting, rub butter over the exposed skin and return it to the oven uncovered. In the end, my goose was not very photogenic - the skin split over the breast, but it was amazingly tasty.
Step Eight: Carve and serve with gravy, stuffing, and whatever else you want.
Merry Christmas!
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