Roast goose
with home-made sausagemeat stuffing
This mouth-watering dish makes an exciting and traditional alternative to the usual Christmas dinner just like the recipe that was passed down to Nessie from her mother.
You will need:
For the stuffing:
25g butter
1 large onion, very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g soft white breadcrumbs
1kg pork sausagemeat
3 tbsp. finely chopped sage
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to season
For the goose:
5kg fresh goose
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt for seasoning
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven), gas mark 7.
For the stuffing gently fry the onion for 10 minutes in a small knob of butter. Once soft and translucent (but not browned) place the onions in a bowl to cool.
When the onion has cooled, stir in the garlic and breadcrumbs with 75ml of water and use your hands to work in the sausagemeat and sage. Season well before stirring in the egg.
Remove any excess fat from the cavity of the goose, as well as the neck and giblets, which you can save for gravy. To ensure crispy skin after cooking, pour boiling water over the goose to make the skin tight and pat it dry with kitchen roll.
Prick the skin all over, particularly under the wings, with a fork to release the fat but make sure not to pierce the flesh. Fill the cavity with the sausagemeat stuffing and secure with skewers.
Sit the goose on a wire rack in a deep roasting tin, which will collect all of the fat that is released without it allowing it to touch the goose.
Roast the goose for roughly 3.5 hours, or a calculated time using 20 minutes per 500g. After the first hour, make sure to drain off the excess fat and baste the goose, and repeat this every half an hour or so. If the fat looks in danger of overspilling, drain it away with a turkey baster.
To check if the goose is done, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a knife and make sure the juices run clear.
Once cooked, remove the goose from the oven. Cover with tinfoil and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Enjoy!