Your Christmas Goose
Storage
Remove the giblets and the body cavity fat, store the giblets and the goose separately in the refrigerator.
Roasting
You will need the following:
- Large deep meat tin (ideally with a trivet or rack)
- Foil
- Salt and pepper
- Stuffing of your choice
Allow 15 minutes per £450g/1lb plus 20 minutes
Approximate time:
- 4.50kg/10lb = 3 hours
- 5.40kg/12lb = 3.5 hours
Oven 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6
Aga top right hand oven
Method
Place the giblets in 2.2 litres / 4 pints of water, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for approx 1 hour with the lid on. Then strain and thicken the stock to make the gravy.
Prick and rub salt and pepper over the skin. Then stuff the goose with your favourite stuffing, or as an alternative fill the body cavity with chopped apple and herbs of your choice and cook the stuffing separately in a dish. To prevent burning, wrap the legs in foil and also cover with some of the fat. Place the goose on a trivet or rack in the meat tin, breast side up and cover with foil and place in a pre-heated oven. After the first hour baste the goose and make sure the legs are still covered and that the skin is not burning. Pour off surplus fat into a container. For the last 30-40 minutes, uncover the breast to brown and baste again, pouring off the surplus fat. When cooked, lift the goose onto a carving dish to rest for approximately 20 minutes before carving and cover loosely with foil.
Carving
Goose breasts are shallow, so take a sharp, long thin-bladed knife and angle it at about 90º to the breastbone, carving from the neck end. Detach the legs, then slice off the thigh meat.