Roast Goose with Celery, Sage and Apple Stuffing

Fresh Geese can be found between September and January. Often cooked instead of Turkey on Christmas day, but at it’s best September - October.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes   Quantity: Serves 6   Cooking time: 1 & 1/2 hours

Ingredients

Stuffing -
1 tablespoon olive oil and knob butter (15g)
1 onion - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - crushed
2 sticks celery - de-stringed and finely chopped
2 sour apples - cored, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
1/2 lemon juiced
1 egg
150g / 6 oz breadcrumbs
seasoning

The Bird -
1 goose - prepared
30g butter
seasoning

Cooking Liquid -
1 large glass white wine
5 - 6 sage leaves
1 stick celery - roughly diced
1 clove garlic - skin on crushed by your fist

Method

  • Melt the oil and butter
  • Add the onion and garlic, cook for a minute to soften without colour
  • Add the celery and cook for a further minute to soften
  • Take of the heat and cool
  • Mix the onion mix and the rest of the ingredients together to form a stuffing
  • Season
  • Rub the butter all over the goose and season well
  • Stuff the stuffing in to the clean washed out cavity or cook separately wrapped in greased foil and bake for an hour
  • Place the goose on in a roasting dish on it’s breast side down (upside down)
  • Add the wine, garlic, celery and sage to the tin, this will create a steam to moisten the bird as well as making a good base for the gravy / jus
  • Bake in a preheated oven gas 8 / 230*c / 450*f - for 20 minutes
  • Turn over the goose (normal way up) and baste in the cooking liquids
  • Then turn down the oven to gas 4 / 180*c / 340*f - for an hour or until done


Tip - To make the sauce use the cooking liquid, skim of excess fat and thicken with 2 teaspoons tomato puree, glaze with a knob of butter and boil till thickened - add more wine or stock to bulk out