Roast Goose with Wild Rice, Hazelnuts & Apple Recipe

Cooking Your Goose

Buying: Fresh Geese are bred for availability only for the Yuletide season. When buying one, make sure it's plump, and well formed with smooth skin, free of blemishes and pin feathers. It is hard to judge the quality of a frozen Goose, so stick to well known brands to assure consistency. Allow at least 2 days to thaw in the refrigerator or 5 - 6 hours immersed in cold water in it's original wrap (change water often) A 10 - 11 pound (5 kg) goose is the largest you should consider. Larger ones tend to be tough. A goose this size will serve no more than 8 people (geese have large carcasses and relatively little meat), with no leftovers. For a larger crowd, buy two geese.

Preparing and Cooking Goose contains a large amount of fat just below the surface of the skin and should not be roasted in the same manner as the much leaner turkey. A turkey needs to be basted with fat while it roasts, the opposite is true with goose: grease must be removed. So this what you do: Pull out any loose pads of fat. Using a needle, pierce skin and fatty layer without penetrating the lean meat. Here's the most important secret: Pour boiling water (about 1 cup) over top of the bird just before placing in the oven and again (same amount) partway through the roasting time to melt out fat, crisp the skin and prevent fat in roast pan from catching fire. Discard drippings as they accumulate during the first 2 1/2 hours of cooking. To remove drippings, lift goose right out of the pan and place on work surface. Pour off fatty drippings into a tin can, then discard can and contents.

Carving Remove roasted goose from oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest on the cutting board for 15 minutes. Discard trussing strings. Remove stuffing and keep warm. Gently move wing bone to locate shoulder joint. With large stiff bladed chef's knife, cut down firmly through joint, severing tendons to free wing. Cut through skin in an arc around leg. Press knife down between thigh and body. Cut through joint to free leg. Cut leg in two between thigh and drumstick. Using long slender carving knife, carve breast into lengthwise slices, slightly diagonal to breastbone.

Remove the neck, heart, and gizzard from the goose and put them in a saucepan with 4 cups of water. Let simmer gently, partially covered, for several hours, until reduced to slightly less than 2 cups. Season the broth to taste with salt. For the stuffing; mix together the wild rice, nuts, apples, onion, and herbs, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity of the goose with the stuffing, skewer closed, and lace string around the skewers, then truss the bird. Roast in a preheated 325 degree oven, breast side down, for 1 1/2 hours, drawing off the fat as it accumulates, then turn and roast another 1 1/2 hours, or slightly more for an 11-12-pound bird. When done, the juices should run clear when the bird is pricked where the thigh attaches to the body. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, then sprinkle a little flour over the bottom of the roasting pan-1 to 2 tablespoons, depending on how thick you like your gravy. Set the pan over low heat and stir for 2 minutes, scraping up all the browned bits. Add the reserved goose broth and whisk until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper and serve in a gravy boat alongside the bird. Remove trussing strings and skewers before carving.