Traditional Roast goose with chestnut stuffing .

This Christmas why not try and do a little roast goose instead of turkey. I know that most people think it is hard to do and dry but so is turkey if you cook it wrong so try a little goose this year.   

You will need

6kg/12lb goose, with giblets

2 or 3 onions

2 or 3 large carrots

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1kg/2lb potatoes

2 or 3tbsp of  plain flour

Glass of red wine

Glass of white wine

450g/1lb peeled chestnuts, cooked and very finely chopped

110g/4oz smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped

25g/1oz  butter

 4 level tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 1 level dessertspoon chopped fresh thyme

 ¼ level teaspoon ground mace

225g/8oz best-quality pork sausage meat

450g/14½oz prunes

250ml/8floz port

2 garlic cloves

150g/5oz dried cranberries

First you have to prepare the goose, now this is easy to do all you have to remember is to cover it well before you roast it so it does not dry out. You will need to preheat your oven, set it to 200c/400f and then set to you goose.

The best thing to roast in is a beep roasting try with a rack. Under the goose place the 2 or 3 onions and large carrots all pealed. Then prick the skin of the goose all over with a fork and rub in the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now rap the goose in the try with aluminium foil. You want you make a sort of parcel to with the goose inside. It will take about 3½ hours to roast or 15 minutes for every 450g or 16oz, plus another 20 minutes as well. After about roasting for about  an hour take of the foil and just cover the breast of the bird and let it just colour up. You will need to baste the goose about every 30 or 40 minutes and make sure that the legs do not burn and dry out. Take the goose  giblets and place in a pan with about 2.5litres/4 pints of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for three hours, then strain. This is for the gravy latter.

Now while that is roasting take your potatoes and part boil them strain off the water and then bash them so you get nice fluffy edges. Now as the goose cooks drain of some of the fat that comes of the bird. Heat this fat up and do your roast potatoes in that fat.

To make your stuffing take 1 lager onion and sweat it down with the butter and  ground mace until the onion is nice and soft , add to them the garlic crushed, dried cranberries, prunes and  port take it off the heat and let the prunes and the cranberry’s soak up all the juices. Once that has cooled add it to the chestnuts streaky bacon and sausage meat. Form little balls and roast them off about 30 to 40 minutes before serving.

Final about 20 minutes before carving the goose take it out of the oven and let it rest. Then make the gravy. Take the roasting dish and put it on the heat. If there is a lot of fat take some out of the dish. Add to the roasting try the plain flour and work it in to the veg that has been roasted in the try. Let the flour cook until you have a nice dark colure then add the red and white wine. Work that in and then add some of stock from cooking the giblets and bring to the boil. If it looks all lumpy do not worry just use a hand blends to puree the lot. Finally pass the gravy through a sieve and you are done.