How does the goose stay juicy?

Of course, the quality of the goose plays a major role. And then the filling of apples and oranges keep the goose juicy inside. As well as pouring the goose stock over the goose roughly every 30 – 45 Minutes, which also ensures moisture in the oven.

Mugwort is a herb and makes the goose more digestible overall. And the orange and mugwort are an unbeatable flavour duo for refining roast duck and goose. The sweet fruitiness of the citrus fruit harmonizes wonderfully with the tart, bitter note of mugwort. And if you can't get (dried) mugwort, you can use sage as an alternative.

Roasted Goose-great for Christmas -

Jump to recipe

Have you ever prepared a roasted goose all by yourself?

I’ve been “allowed” to prepare our roasted goose at Christmas Eve for 7 years straight now, and since then I’ve always made it according to a recipe by Johann Lafer, which I’ve modified over the years. For example, he uses soy sauce and molasses, which I don’t use. Because even with a celebratory meal like a Christmas goose, I like to keep it as uncomplicated as possible.

Overview

What do you need for a roasted goose?
- Then you need the following ingredients:
How many kg of goose do you need per person?
And how do I prepare the goose?
Carving the roasted goose
Side dishes for the roasted goose:

What do you need for a roasted goose?

Obviously, you require a goose first. Since this is a feast and not an everyday meal, I would try not save money on the goose and order it from your trusted butcher.

Then you need the following ingredients:

goose
onions
Apples and oranges for filling
sprigs of thyme
poultry stock
Mugwort / alternatively sage
Celery, carrot, red wine etc. for the sauce

How many kg of goose do you need per person?

There is a relatively simple calculation:

Goose parts such as leg and breast are sufficient for 4 people (that makes about 2 kg), while for larger families of 6 to 8 people a small goose of about 5 kg is definitely needed. It is best to prepare a goose of about 6 kg for 8-10 guests. And if you’re a big meat eater, I’d add 2 more goose legs to the oven halfway through cooking. And if there is still some meat left, you can prepare a goose Gröstel the next day. How? Easy,

And how do I prepare the goose?

First, the roasted goose is washed with cold water and dried with kitchen paper. Usually there is still a small bag with the gutted innards in the goose. This can go. Then you should first separate the wings by cutting the skin & tendons and removing the bone by twisting. Or simply ask your butcher if he can do that for you. He’ll be happy to do that for you and can also chop the wings a little smaller for you.

But take the wings with you, you’ll need them for the sauce.

Then you have to remove the so-called flaming. That’s the goose fat on the butt.;-)

Then generously salt the goose inside and out and also some pepper, fill with the apple-orange-onion mixture. And then just wrap the legs of the goose with the kitchen twine and pull them together and tie them to the bone, this works best like an 8.

Then pour the chicken stock into a deep baking tray and place on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Place the soon-to-be roasted goose on a grid and place it one higher on the tray or the grid and roast the goose in the oven. To keep the meat from drying out, keep pouring the stock over the goose, roughly every 30- 45mins.

In the meantime, you can set the table festively (here I have a few tips for you) and prepare your side dishes. I have described what we always cook with it below.

But first the feared opponent, the cutting or carving of the roasted goose.

Carving the roasted goose

Carefully remove the roasted goose from the oven and place it on a large kitchen board. You’ll need a really sharp knife for this, so watch your fingers too.

First, go around the leg generously with a large carving knife so that you can release them more easily. Then use the knife to pierce down to the joint in order to then sever the joint capsule. Then you can easily trigger the legs completely. And place on a serving plate.

Then use the carving knife to cut through the skin on the quill of the breast (in the middle) and completely remove the breast to the left and right and cut the breast pieces into nice slices (tranches). Unfortunately, there isn’t that much meat left on the back of the goose.

But that’s it! Actually not that difficult 😉

Side dishes for the roasted goose:

We always have German red cabbage and potato dumplings and bread dumplings (without the creamy mushroom sauce) as a classic.

To save time, we always prepare the red cabbage the day before. Firstly, it makes the work a lot easier and secondly, the red cabbage tastes even better once it has steeped. For the potato dumplings, we usually buy the ready-made dumpling dough, season it with a little salt, and they’re done. The bread dumplings we make while the goose is roasting in the oven.

Add to it a strong red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon, and you are ready to go!

Much love and enjoy!

sabrina x

Oh yes, one more thing! If you prefer Frankfurters and a potato salad over a roasted goose for Christmas Eve, have a look here for my recipe for a Swabian potato salad, of course without mayonnaise.

Roasted Goose

The German classic for Christmas

moderate

Prep time:
40 minutes
Baking time:
5 hours
Total time:
5 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

6 servings

Goose
1	goose about 5kg
3	onions
3	apples
1	orange
	Salt & Pepper
4	sprigs of thyme
400 ml	chicken stock
	Mugwort / alternatively sage
sauce
150 g	celeriac
1	carrot
1	stick of celery
1	tsp juniper berries
2	bay leaves
2	tbsp tomato paste
200 ml	of red wine
400 ml	chicken stock
4	sprigs of thyme

Utensils

kitchen twine

Steps of preparation

stuffing

Peel and coarsely dice the onion, wash and core the apples and also roughly dice them
Wash the orange and cut into large pieces with the peel
Put everything in a large bowl and mix with the mugwort and a teaspoon of salt
Preheat the oven to 150 °C, fan

The goose

Wash the goose inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper
Cut off the wings with a knife and save the wings for the sauce
Remove the goose fat from the abdomen—save some for the sauce
Generously salt the goose inside and out and fill with half of the apple/onion/orange mixture
Wrap the legs of the goose several times with the kitchen twine and pull them together and tie them to the bone.
Pour the chicken stock into a deep baking tray and place on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Place the goose on a wire rack and place on the sheet pan.
Cook the goose for about 4 hours at 130 °C and occasionally pour the stock over it
Turn the oven up to 200 °C and then bake for another 30 minutes

The sauce

Meanwhile, for the sauce, wash and dice the celeriac, carrot and celery.
Cut the wings in smaller pieces
Melt the goose fat in a saucepan and sear the bones in it
Add the vegetables and roast them.
Add tomato paste and sauté for about 2 minutes
Deglaze with the red wine and pour in the chicken stock
Add the juniper berries and bay leaf and let it simmer for about 30 minutes over medium heat.
Pour the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper to taste
Let it simmer for a moment, and in the meantime finish baking the goose.