Roasted Christmas Goose
serves 6
Here is a recipe for an exceptional goose: crisp and golden on the outside and perfectly moist within. Serve the goose with rice or stuffing and reserve fat for a decadent side dish of sautéed potatoes.
Read more about this recipe in Diane Morgan's The Christmas Table.
1 (12-pound) farm-raised goose
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, quartered
3 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned low-sodium
1/2 cup Madeira
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
prep: 35 minutes
total: 2 hours 5 minutes
roasting pan (with v-shaped roasting rack)
kitchen shears
two-pronged carving fork
meat thermometer
whisk
warmed platter and gravy boat
1. Position a rack in the second-lowest level in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500F. Have ready a roasting pan outfitted with a roasting rack, preferably V-shaped.
2. Remove the neck and giblets from the chest cavity, and save the liver to make liver pâté or another use, if desired. Discard the neck and other giblets. Remove any visible fat from the bird and cut off the wing tips. Using paper towels, pat the goose dry inside and out. Sprinkle cavity with kosher or sea salt and pepper. Put the thyme and lemon wedges in the cavity.
3. Prick the breast of the bird with a two-pronged carving fork to release any fat as it cooks. Arrange the bird, breast-side up, on the rack. Stick an ovenproof meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Orient the thermometer so it is facing you as you put the bird in the oven. (Alternatvely, and ideally, use a remote probe thermometer.)
4. Roast the goose for 45 minutes, and then turn the oven off. Do not open. Leave the bird in the oven until the thermometer reaches 165F, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Keep in mind that the temperature will rise to 170F while the bird rests before carving. Remove the goose from the oven and transfer to a carving board or warmed serving platter. Tent with foil and let the bird rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to set.
5. Spoon the fat off the top of the pan juices, and save the fat for another use. Put the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove top over medium-high heat. Add the stock and Madeira and deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom to release any caramelized bits that have stuck to it. Simmer the liquid until it is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. While the liquid is reducing, use a small fork to work together the butter and flour to make a paste. When the liquid is reduced, whisk the butter paste, a little at a time, into the gravy to thicken it slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
6. Carve the goose as you would a turkey. Arrange the meat on a warmed platter and serve. Pour the gravy into a warmed gravy boat and pass at the table.
Diane Morgan, The Christmas Table, Chronicle Books (2008)
