Roast goose

Poor families would ensure that they got their Christmas goose by paying into a goose club and, without an oven, having it roasted by the baker. In A Christmas Carol, the Cratchit children go wild outside the bakery at the smell of sage-and-onion stuffing, and the whole family admire their goose’s flavour (and cheapness); Mrs. Cratchit ekes it out with apple sauce and mashed potatoes. A turkey, costlier and harder to buy in cities, is what the reformed Scrooge treats the Cratchit family to.

SERVES 8-10

1 goose, about 5–6kg

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(with giblets and neck) 1 onion, peeled

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A few sprigs of sage

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or thyme FOR THE STUFFING

2 large onions, finely

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chopped 3 tbsps of freshly

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chopped sage 200g of stale

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breadcrumbs Salt and black pepper

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2 free range eggs

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A little hot stock

● FOR THE GRAVY

Goose neck, chopped

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Goose wings

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1 carrot, roughly chopped

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1 onion, roughly chopped

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Giblets

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2 bay leaves

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6 peppercorns

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1 tbsp of plain flour

● TO SERVE

Potatoes and/or root

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vegetables, for roasting alongside the goose Unsweetened apple

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sauce or stewed apple Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/GAS mark 6. 1 Chop off the wings and keep these for the stock. Pull out all the fat from inside the bird and cut off any extra visible fat. (Melt this fat gently in a saucepan, then strain it through a fine strainer/ sieve or muslin. Keep in a jar in the fridge to roast vegetables or lean meat, such as rabbit.)

2 To make the stuffing, sweat the onions in a little of the goose fat until they are translucent. Add the sage, breadcrumbs, and seasoning, and bind with the eggs and a few spoonfuls of hot stock – the mixture should be moist enough to bind together but not at all sloppy. If you are using it to stuff the goose, you will need to weigh the stuffing first.

3 Using a sharp skewer or knife, prick the skin of the bird all over, without going into the meat below (this will help the fat to run off). Rub salt into the skin and the cavity of the goose, and put either the peeled onion and sprigs of sage or thyme, or the stuffing, into the cavity.

4 To calculate the cooking time, add the weight of the stuffing to the weight of the bird if you are cooking the two together; cook for 15 minutes per 450g plus 15 minutes; add 30 minutes’ resting time.

5 Place the goose on a wire rack above a tray and roast in the preheated oven. Baste from time to time with the fat that collects in the tray. If the goose browns too quickly, cover the breast with foil.

6 Meanwhile, make the stock for the gravy by frying the chopped neck and wings and vegetables in a little goose fat in a large pan. Pour off any excess fat, add the giblets, bay leaves, and peppercorns and a litre of water. Let this simmer for 1½ hours, then strain and set aside. 7 When you are ready to roast your potatoes and vegetables (about 30 minutes before the goose comes out of the oven), pour out the fat from the tray, leaving enough for roasting (either take the goose out and put it on a board, holding it with two clean dish towels, or put another tray temporarily underneath, so the fat doesn’t drip onto the floor of your oven). Continue to roast the goose on the rack with the vegetables in the tray below. 8 When the goose is cooked through and the juices run clear, transfer it to a large plate, cover with foil, and let it rest for 20–30 minutes before carving. To make the gravy, thicken the juices in the roasting tray with a little flour over a low heat, and slowly add the strained stock. Pour into a gravy boat. 9 Serve with the roasted potatoes and vegetables, alongside some unsweetened apple sauce or stewed apple, to your taste. ➤