In lots of components of Europe, roast goose is eaten at Christmas. Its deliciously deep flavour and juicy succulence is such a deal with. Like duck and pork, goose loves fruity flavours, each candy and acidic.
he potato and apple stuffing recipe beneath is my favorite to serve with roast goose or duck. The citrusy orange zest and the tart cooking apples complement the wealthy meat completely. As a substitute of breadcrumbs, it has mashed potato to carry all of it collectively, so it’s gluten-free too. The apple sauce featured right here, which could be served on the facet, provides one other fruity contact to the roasted meat.
I'm a agency believer in Brussels sprouts, and really feel Christmas isn’t Christmas with out them. Within the recipe featured right here, as a substitute of boiling them, I’ve cooked them with a splash of water and a few butter or olive oil, so the tip result's recent and retains the tiniest little bit of chunk. Brussels sprouts are additionally nice roasted — toss them in drizzle of olive oil with salt and pepper, unfold them out in a single layer in a roasting tray, and prepare dinner them in a scorching oven till they're as tender as you want.
Leftover roast goose is scrumptious. I like to shred the meat fairly thinly and toss it with sliced uncooked crimson cabbage, cooked Puy lentils, olive oil, a splash of crimson wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, a lot of chopped parsley, and a few crumbled feta.
Don’t neglect to make a goose inventory when you’ve completed with the meat. Place the carcass in a saucepan with two sticks of celery, a leek or two, a big onion reduce in half and a few peeled carrots. Add some coriander stalks, garlic and ginger in case you’d like an Asian twist, or a couple of thyme and parsley sprigs for a European slant. Cowl effectively with chilly water and simmer for about three hours earlier than straining. Use in soups and broths.
Now that’s a sustainable and scrumptious Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Rachel Allen's roast goose with potato and apple stuffing, apple sauce and glazed Brussels sprouts and carrots. Picture: Tony Gavin
Roast goose with potato and apple stuffing
Serves 6-8, relying on the dimensions
You have to:
1 entire goose, roughly 4.5kg in weight
Salt and freshly floor pepper
For the stuffing, you will want:
900g potatoes, of their skins
Salt and freshly floor black pepper
30g butter
450g finely chopped onions
450g cooking apples (akin to Bramley’s Seedling)
2 teaspoons chopped thyme or sage or a combination of each
2 tablespoons recent orange juice
3 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
For the gravy, you will want:
1 tablespoon plain flour or gluten-free flour
500ml goose, hen or duck inventory
Elements for Rachel's potato and apple stuffing. Picture: Tony Gavin
1 Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, Gasoline 4.
2 Subsequent, make the stuffing. Scrub the potatoes of their skins and put them in a saucepan. Cowl them with chilly water and add pinch of salt. Place the pot on a excessive warmth and convey to the boil. Flip the warmth down and simmer the potatoes gently, pouring off half of the water after 10 minutes. Simmer the potatoes till they're tender inside.
3 Whereas the potatoes are cooking, soften the butter in a separate saucepan. Add the finely chopped onions, cowl, and prepare dinner on a delicate warmth for about 10 minutes till the onions are utterly softened.
4 Whereas the onions are cooking, take the goose out of the fridge and place it on a big roasting tray.
5 Subsequent, peel the apples and reduce them into quarters. Take away and discard the cores. Lower the apple quarters into chunks and add them to the saucepan of cooked onions, together with the chopped thyme or sage, or combination of each, whichever you’re utilizing, and the recent orange juice.
6 Cowl the saucepan with a lid and place it again on a delicate warmth. Proceed cooking till the apples are comfortable and fluffy.
7 When the potatoes are cooked, peel them whereas they're scorching, then mash them and add them to the onion and apple combination. Add the finely grated orange zest and season with salt and freshly floor black pepper to style.
8 Enable the stuffing to chill utterly earlier than placing it into the goose (see my High Tip, beneath).
9 To arrange the goose, take away the wishbone from the neck finish, or, in case you choose, you possibly can take away it as soon as the goose is roasted and earlier than you carve the meat.
10 Season the cavity of the goose with salt and freshly floor black pepper, rubbing somewhat salt into the pores and skin additionally. Spoon the cooled stuffing into the big cavity of the goose. Place the stuffed fowl within the preheated oven and roast it for about 2-2½ hours.
11 To see if the goose is cooked, use the tip of a knife to pierce the thigh on the thickest half — the juices that run out must be clear. If they're nonetheless pink, the goose must prepare dinner for somewhat longer. When it's cooked, take away the goose to a serving dish and put it in a really low oven when you make the gravy.
12 To make the gravy, spoon off the excess fats from the roasting tin. Put it aside for roasting potatoes; it retains for months in a fridge. Add the plain flour or the gluten-free flour, whichever you're utilizing, to the juices within the roasting tray. Place the roasting tray over a low warmth and whisk the flour with the juices, permitting the liquid to bubble and boil. Subsequent, add the goose, hen or duck inventory, whichever you’re utilizing, and proceed whisking. This helps choose up and dissolve the scrumptious nuggets of flavour which have caught to the tray. As soon as the gravy has boiled, pour it via a sieve right into a saucepan. Place the saucepan on the warmth. Style the gravy for seasoning. If the gravy is weak, boil it for a couple of minutes, uncovered, to pay attention the flavour. Serve it scorching; it reheats completely.
13 Carve the goose. Serve with the gravy and the Bramley apple sauce (see recipe beneath).
High Tip
At all times enable stuffing to chill utterly earlier than inserting it within the cavity of a fowl, even when it’s going straight into the oven to prepare dinner.
Rachel Recommends
I’ve simply found the brand new number of Irish potatoes, Irish Gold, that are a very good all-round spud for mashing, roasting or steaming, with a candy, nutty flavour and floury texture. Obtainable in meals outlets now.
Bramley apple sauce
Serves 6-8
You have to:
450g cooking apples (akin to Bramley’s Seedling)
25-50g caster sugar or granulated sugar, relying on the tartness of the apples
2 tablespoons water
1 Peel, quarter and core the apples. Then reduce each bit of apple in two and put right into a saucepan together with 25g of the caster sugar or granulated sugar, whichever you’re utilizing, and the water.
2 Cowl the saucepan with a lid and place the pot on a low warmth to prepare dinner for nearly 5 minutes till the apple has damaged down into a beautiful fluffy consistency. Stir and style for sweetness, including extra of the sugar if essential. Serve the Bramley apple sauce heat, with goose, duck or roast pork.
Rachel Allen along with her Christmas goose. Picture: Tony Gavin
Glazed Brussels sprouts
Serves 6-8
You have to:
500g Brussels sprouts
25g butter or 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
100ml water
Salt and freshly floor black pepper
1 Trim the bottom from every Brussels sprout and take away the outer leaves and discard. Lower the sprouts in half, or in the event that they’re very massive, reduce them in quarters.
2 Place the ready sprouts, the butter or the extra-virgin olive oil, whichever you’re utilizing, and the water in a medium-sized saucepan on a medium warmth and season with a pinch of salt and a few freshly floor black pepper.
3 Deliver to the boil, cowl the saucepan with a lid, and prepare dinner over a delicate warmth for 10-12 minutes till the Brussels sprouts are nearly tender. By this level, all of the liquid ought to have been absorbed into the sprouts and created a glaze, but when there may be nonetheless liquid within the pan when the greens are nearly cooked, take away the lid and boil, uncovered, till any remaining liquid has evaporated and the Brussels sprouts are glazed.
4 Style the Brussels sprouts for seasoning and serve.
Glazed carrots
Serves 6-8
You have to:
450g carrots
15g butter or 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
110ml chilly water
Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
1 scant tablespoon chopped recent parsley or recent mint
1 High and tail the carrots, then scrub them and, if essential, you possibly can peel them thinly.
2 Lower the carrots into 7mm-thick slices, both straight throughout or at an angle. Attempt to reduce every slice to the identical thickness or the carrots will prepare dinner erratically.
3 Put the carrots in a saucepan with the butter or the extra-virgin olive oil, whichever you’re utilizing, the water, a pinch of sea salt and a few freshly floor pepper.
4 Deliver to the boil, cowl, and prepare dinner over a delicate warmth till tender, by which era all of the liquid ought to have been absorbed into the carrots. If not, take away the lid and enhance the warmth till all of the liquid has evaporated. Style and proper the seasoning. Shake the saucepan so the carrots are coated with the buttery glaze.
5 Serve in a heat vegetable dish sprinkled with the chopped parsley or mint, whichever you’re utilizing.
Pictures by: Tony Gavin. Culinary assistant: Florrie Cullinane. Rachel wears: Knitwear, Sphere One, see sphereone.ie. Make-up by: Liz McCarthy, see lizmccarthy.ie. Hair by: Eden Hair, The Mall, Maryborough Woods, Douglas, Co. Cork. See edenhair.ie