The thought of having your friends and family huddled around a Christmas table, recalling old stories, sharing a glass of wine and a plump golden turkey proudly positioned at the centre of the table, is a thought that could warm a snowman!
You often hear that “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a turkey”, but when did a turkey become a Christmas day staple? Well, some believe that we have King Henry VII to thank for this when he once feasted on a turkey one Christmas, shortly after the birds were introduced to the country from The Americas.
Prior to this a festive goose was the bird of choice at Christmas and it is with this thought in mind alongside one of our favourite Christmas songs. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, when she famously sings the line “In the new old-fashioned way”, that we thought we would share a new dish for you to try this Christmas from Bruce, Head Chef at Audley Clevedon, his delicious classic roast goose recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 goose (3 - 3.5kg)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 whole head garlic
- 120ml Madeira wine
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 470ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 900g root vegetables, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, celeriac, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- Salt & pepper
Method
- Bring the goose up to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you're ready to cook. If frozen pull out of the freezer 1 day before to thaw.
- Remove the neck, giblets (heart, gizzard, liver) and the last two joints of the wings, these can be used for the gravy. Slice off the neck skin, about a half inch in front of the body.
- Remove any excess fat from the goose. Keep the goose fat as some believe it is the most delicious of all cooking fats and it's far healthier than butter or lard.
- Next, place the fat from inside the body cavity inio a bowl. Slice off the wide belly flaps covering the body cavity, remove the "Pope’s nose," which is the goose’s tail.
- Use a clean needle to prick the goose skin all over to let the fat release during cooking. The technique is to prick the skin from an angle, so you're not piercing the meat, just the skin.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C, for an oven without a fan.
- Rub the goose all over with the cut half of a lemon. Use both sides to get it nicely coated. Put the lemon remains inside the goose.
- Sprinkle salt liberally all over the goose. Use more salt than you think you need; it helps crisp the skin and adds a lot to the flavor.
- Slice off the top of a head of garlic and place it inside the goose.
- Place the goose breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan and into the oven.
- Once the goose has cooked for 20 minutes, add the root veggies, toss them in some rendered goose fat and salt before placing them in the bottom of the roasting pan. Then put the goose back into the oven for roughly an hour, basting the goose with the drippings from the pan.
- Remove the goose from the oven when the internal cooking temperature has reached 75-80 degree Celsius, rest for 15 minutes before you carve.
