A Glorious Goose for New Year's Day

On New Year’s Day I finally fulfilled a long-held culinary desire: to roast a goose over the festive period. Every year when I watch ‘A Christmas Carol’ or read another wonderful sounding recipe for goose I think I’d love to cook one, but I just can’t bring myself to discard the turkey which I’ve eaten every year for Christmas lunch my whole life. But this year I thought I’d push the boat out and order not only a turkey from my butcher but a goose as well, for New Year’s Day – how decadent!

Rob and I invited the family for the feast but then I became concerned that there wouldn’t actually be enough goose to feed all 8 and a half of us as, although geese are large, they have large cavities and not a great amount of meat comparatively. Also I wasn’t sure what size we would get as the butcher could only give us a rough estimate. To guard against this I decided to also cook a chicken, which would also give the added benefit of me being able to offer an alternative if anyone didn’t like the goose.

Well I certainly needn’t have worried about the size of the goose – it was a very healthy 6kg – or anyone disliking it, but I am glad I cooked the chicken to bump up the meat offering as there was only just enough goose meat to go round. I thought they went rather well together actually, with the white, lighter chicken contrasting nicely against the dark, richer goose meat.

When it came to cooking the goose I pricked it all over to help the delicious fat escape and seasoned it well with salt and pepper. I decided to give it a hot blast for 30 minutes and then cooked it at a lower, but still hot, temperature for another 2 and a half hours and I was really pleased with how it came out. I served it with two stuffings – cranberry and sausage, and sausage, sage and onion – carrots, savoy cabbage and, of course, lots and lots of roast potatoes cooked in all that lovely goose fat which I regularly ladled out of the tray the goose was roasting in. You wouldn’t believe the amount that came out, but I’m not complaining; I still have lots in the fridge destined for more potatoes.

The goose was a real winner; everyone liked it. I thought it tasted a bit like a cross between duck and turkey. It was rich but not overpoweringly so, gamey but not too strong and moist but not fatty. I really enjoyed it and it certainly was festive when I brought it out in all its glory. I’m looking forward to cooking one again over the next Christmas period.