Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 goose – approximate weight 5kg
50ml vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, washed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
½ leek, chopped
1 bay leaf
Fresh thyme
40g brown sugar
500ml chicken stock
50g redcurrant jelly
Ingredients For the Stuffing
500g pork sausage meat
2 eggs
200gr chestnuts, cooked
2 apples, peeled and diced
200g dried figs, diced
1 carrot, small dice
2 shallots, finely chopped
Chopped fresh thyme
Chopped fresh marjoram
50g butter
100ml port
Salt
Pepper
Ground nutmeg
60g cold butter
Ingredients For the Red Cabbage
200g butter
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
2 shallots, finely sliced
200ml water
50g honey
60ml red wine vinegar
Small piece ginger, grated
50g cranberry sauce
Served with
Roasted shallots
Buttered baby carrots
Roasted baby turnips
Fresh dates wrapped in bacon
Mulled roasted plums
Method
To make the stuffing: in a sauté pan heat the butter and add the diced shallots, cook over a low flame, add some fresh chopped thyme, season with salt and cook until soft. Transfer to a mixing bowl. In the same pan repeat the proceed for the carrots and add to the shallots. Allow to cool and to the bowl add the sausage meat, chestnuts, diced apples, diced figs, eggs and remaining herbs. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and mix well. Make a small patty, cook and use to check seasoning – adjust if necessary.
Wipe the goose dry and empty the cavity. Bring a large pot of water to the boil (big enough to dunk the goose in). Once the water is boiling, turn heat off and rapidly dip the goose into the hot water for three times. Place on a draining tray and allow to cool, wipe the skin dry with absorbent paper and allow to air dry for about an hour (this process will help to get a nice crisp skin finish).
Season the cavity liberally and fill with the stuffing – the cavity should be able to take all the mixture. Take a needle and thread and sew the cavity closed so that the stuffing does not dry out during roasting.
At the roasting tray and add half the oil, add the vegetables, bay leaf and thyme and cook for a few minutes, season. Bring the vegetables to the centre and lay the goose on the vegetables, rub the breasts with the remaining oil and season liberally with salt. Cover with parchment paper and foil and place in a pre-heated oven set at 180°C and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven and remove the parchment/foil baste and recover with the parchment/foil, return to the oven for an additional 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and increase temperature to 220°C, cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, baste often and rotate as necessary to get a nice even golden finish and a crisp skin look. Transfer to a clean dish and keep warm.
For the gravy, drain off as much fat as you can and return the tray to a low flame. Add the chicken stock, brown sugar and red currant jelly, mix and scrape down the bottom and sides to remove residual caramelization. Simmer over a low flame and strain, adjust seasoning to taste. Just before serving bring back to the boil, reduce heat and whisk in the cold butter for a rich finish (once the butter is added it cannot be boiled again).
For the red cabbage: in a pot melt the butter and slow cook the shallots and ginger. Add the cabbage and season well, mix and add the rest of the ingredients, cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook over a low flame, stir occasionally. Turn off the heat once all the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage is cooked with a glossy finish.
Serve on a large platter surrounded with the vegetables. Carve the goose at the table and spoon out the stuffing, cover with the rich gravy. Dig in and Merry Christmas!
