Photo by Beatriz DaCosta
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Roast Stuffed Goose
By Arthur Boehm
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adapted from The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking
(Serves 8)
It sounds old-timey—and that's the point. The traditional Christmas-table centerpiece of England (think Tiny Tim) and Colonial America (before the turkey takeover), goose is a delicious holiday option.
For those new to this bird, it's all flavorful dark meat with crackling skin. Stuffed and roasted, goose is especially good fare that is just as easy to prepare as other poultry. Buy it in supermarkets, or order it from your butcher—dressed geese typically weigh 9 to 12 pounds; because they have large frames and relatively scant meat, you'll want to get the biggest bird you can find.
Like duck, goose has a fatty layer just under the skin. To ensure that most of the fat renders in cooking (reserve it, if you like, for other uses, such as frying potatoes), and to produce crispy skin, scald the bird briefly in boiling water, then dry it in the fridge for a day or so.
Goose is carved just as turkey or chicken, but, like duck, is tight-jointed and sometimes more difficult to cut. So, present the whole bird to guests, then carve it in the kitchen. Delicious accompaniments to the stuffed bird include creamed sweet potatoes with turnips (the potatoes baked, the turnips braised in chicken stock with a little butter until soft, then both whipped together with the braising liquid and cream); fresh, tart cranberry sauce; and simply cooked greens such as kale or mustard, whose slight pungency offsets the richness of the goose.
Both the stuffing and gravy base can be made ahead. On serving day, just stuff and roast the goose, prepare the side dishes, and finish the gravy in the roasting pan. And enjoy!
(To order a goose year-round, call D'Artagnan, 800-327-8246.)
Almost everyone looks forward to stuffing at the holidays, and it helps to round out the meal when serving goose. Bake any leftover stuffing in a buttered dish while the bird roasts. Remember to begin preparation one or two days in advance to allow the goose to dry out.
- One 10- to 12-pound goose, fresh or frozen and defrosted
- 8 to 10 cups stuffing (see Savory Bread Stuffing recipe)
- 1/2 cup, Madeira, port, or cognac
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- Giblet Gravy Base (see recipe below)
- 3 tablespoons, unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup, flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Prepare the goose: Remove the neck and giblets, and snip off the wing tips for the gravy. Trim any visible lumps of fat from the body and neck cavities. If any quills remain, use small pliers to remove them. To facilitate carving later, remove the wishbone from the neck end by scraping along it with a paring knife to expose the bone, then pulling it out. With a sharp skewer or trussing needle, prick the skin all over. Hold the needle parallel to the skin as you work to avoid piercing the meat.
Fill a large pot (a stock pot is ideal) halfway with water, and bring it to a boil. Protecting your hands with kitchen gloves, submerge the neck-end half of the goose in boiling water until the skin whitens and becomes taut, about 1 minute. Remove the goose, and repeat with the tail-end half. Drain the goose, and pat it dry with paper towels inside and out. Place the goose on a flat rack in a roasting pan, and refrigerate it, uncovered, 24 to 48 hours to dry the skin. Bring the goose to room temperature before roasting, 1 to 2 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Pack the cavities of the goose with the stuffing, and close the flaps of skin with trussing needles.
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