Post-Christmas Goose

For years I have wanted to cook the classic Christmas goose, and I finally made it happen! Holiday schedules placed the meal on January 4th, but that's close enough ;-)

Roast Goose with Prune and Apple Stuffing and Red Wine Giblet Gravy

This entire meal was comparable to a full-on Thanksgiving dinner- a three day cooking event. The goose itself was cooked in a manner similar to Peking Duck, which is boiled for just a minute or so to tighten the skin before being left to dry for a day or more, so the skin crisps up when cooked. You know it's done boiling when you see... goosebumps. This was the first bird I ever stuffed and trussed (stitching up with a needle and thread), and in this case the bird was stuffed with apples, ham, bread, plenty of veggies, and prunes soaked in sherry. The gravy consisted of a slow cooked red wine goose stock, more sherry, and minced heart, liver, and gizzard. It was delicious and rich. I would place the flavor of the goose itself, which is all dark meat, somewhere between duck and dark meat turkey. The cooking methods kept the meal balanced, allowing the goose's fat to melt away, just moistening the meat, and being repurposed for stuffing and gravy, so it wasn't too heavy. Duck still holds its #1 place in my heart, but this was fabulous.

I served this with a Wild Mushroom Soup (a favorite simple recipe courtesy of the late Anthony Bourdain), Colcannon, Rosemary-Butter Yeast Rolls, and Broccolini and Swiss Chard with Peas and Seared Lemons. Dessert was a Blueberry Crumble.