Steam Roasted Goose

Yield: 1 goose (4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 10 pound (4.5 kg) young goose (reserve neck and giblets)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pepper
• 6-7 cups (1.5 L) apple cider
• 2-3 cups (500 ml) dry white wine
• 5 sprigs fresh sage, leaves
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Granny smith apples, cored and sliced
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced

To Serve:

• Apple-White Wine Gravy (see recipe)
• Watercress
• 2 Granny smith apples, julienned, to garnish

Method:

Heat an oven to 325 F (160 C).

For the goose: Pat goose dry, trim away excess fat and reserve. Trim and remove wing tips. Reserve wing tips, neck, and giblets for Goose Stock (see recipe).

In a medium pan over low heat, place the reserved trimmed fatty skin and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Once all of the fat has rendered out of the skin, strain, reserving the liquid fat, and discarding the solids.

Prick the goose all over piercing the skin but not the flesh, and rub with olive oil. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper, including the inside of the cavity.

Truss the legs together.

In an oval roasting pan, combine apple cider, wine, sage, thyme, garlic, apples, lemon, onions, clove, cinnamon, and garlic. Position a rack over the mixture.

Place the seasoned and trussed goose onto the rack. Cover and roast 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or to an internal temperature of 170 F (78 C).

Remove goose from the roasting pan, loosely tent with foil, and rest for 30 minutes.

Strain the pan juices, discarding the solids, and reserve for the Apple-White Wine Gravy (see recipe). Skim and reserve fat separately.

NOTE: use the reserved rendered fat for Crispy Tarragon Potatoes (see recipe).

To serve: After resting, carve the roasted goose and transfer to a serving dish.

Serve with Apple White-Wine Gravy (see recipe) on side and garnish with watercress and apples.

Buon appetito!