Roasted Goose

#Christmasvibes

Who else has heard of a Christmas Goose? Had the urge to make one? Okay, maybe that’s just a Mel thing, but mostly by accident, I ended up with a locally-sourced, 9-pound Goose to cook this Christmas courtesy of Whiffletree Farms in Warrenton, Virginia.

I thought it would go about like a turkey and then started reading recipes – man, was I wrong. Goose is super intimidating. It’s heavier than both chicken and turkey, and is technically more akin to duck, which means the breasts should be served medium rare with the rest of the bird cooked through. Some light Googling of recipes had me panicked about two-day preparation routines, de-skinning my goose, or dismembering my goose for a staged cooking enterprise. This was not what I intended to sign up for.

Finally I landed on a recipe that didn’t look too difficult. I ended up with a variation on the theme of Gordon Ramsay and I do not regret a single moment of my Christmas Goose endeavor. Highly recommend for an elegant, unique holiday meal. It makes for a lovely table. Here it is paired with Citrus Dill Roasted Carrots, Perfect Mashed Potatoes, and Crispy Oven Cranberry Brussel Sprouts. The wine pairing is a Georgian Saperavi – a medium-bodied red with sweet, red berry flavors.

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what you need

1 whole goose (7-10 pounds, giblets and excess fat removed)

1 bundle of fresh herbs (I used three large sprigs of rosemary)

1 lemon, zested with zest set aside, then cut in half

3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

2-3 shallots, peeled and cut in half

3 tablespoons dried thyme

Plenty of sea salt

5-7 short stalks of celery

3 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

how to make it

Prepare. Preheat oven to 450. First, remove giblets and excess fat from your goose. Rinse it in cold water, place it in its roasting vessel, and pat it dry with paper towels.

Season. Combine lemon zest, sea salt, dried thyme, paprika, and chili powder in a dish. Run generously into the goose skin, sprinkling some inside the goose cavity.

Stuff. Stuff the goose from back to front: half the lemon, half the garlic cloves, half the shallots, the herb bundle, the celery stalks, the remaining garlic and shallots, and finally the remaining lemon half.

Roast. Roast the goose for 10 minutes at 450 then lower the oven temperature to 375. You want to cook your goose for 28 minutes per kilogram of weight. For a 9-pound goose, that is right around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Baste the goose once after the first hour, drizzle on the honey, and cover with foil. There will be a lot of fat rendered off the goose. You’re aiming for an internal goose temperature of around 140-150 degrees at the breast, and 160+ everywhere else. You’re also looking for that crispy, golden brown skin, so feel free to finish it under the broiler if the skin doesn’t get there (but it should).

Rest. Your goose is tired from all that roasting. Give it a break. Remove foil, let it steam, then tent it with foil for 30 minutes while you finish off your side dishes. This will make it easy to cut and serve.