The Main Event- Goose

This year, it was our turn to cook and host, and we decided on roast goose instead of turkey. We all much prefer the taste, and although it's more expensive, my view is that if you're going to have to spend a lot of money on a big bird anyway, you may as well spend a little bit more and have something you enjoy. 

Serious business- the veg box.

Galloway smoked salmon, soured cream, dill, and caviar blinis to start.

So once we'd worked out cooking arrangements and found a roasting tin big enough to fit the enormous goose, we got cracking. I can't really take credit for this- although it is a family effort on the whole, my mum is the brains behind it all really.

We stuffed our goose with a sausage meat stuffing made with good quality pork sausage meat, onion, mixed herbs, salt & pepper.

To stuff it, you need to loosed the skin first with your hand, then push the stuffing as far up beneath the skin and the meat as possible. It wants to be pushed right up to the neck end of the bird.

Then put a halved onion and halved lemon in the cavity.

Prick the goose skin all over to allow the fat to run out of it. Season all over with salt and pepper, then roast at about 170 degrees. We roasted ours for about 3 hours, but I think most recipes say to cook it for 30 mins per kg. You need to keep basting it, and pour off the excess fat (there will be a lot) as you go- use this for the roast potatoes and parsnips!

Let it rest for a good 30 minutes before serving. Now I'm not saying this is the only way to cook goose, (there are lots of great recipes out there) but it did taste pretty great! It's a delicious meat, and I'd serve it with something a little bit sharp, like red cabbage, to cut through the richness.

What a beauty!

As well as all the standard veg and condiments (roast potatoes, parsnips, brussel sprouts, bread sauce, red cabbage, carrots, gravy), one thing we did have which went down well, was carrots cooked in vegetable stock, and then mashed with a bit of cream, butter, and salt and pepper. A luxurious alternative to straightforward carrots.

Essentials....cooked with bacon.