A Roast Goose Recipe fit for the Christmas Table (2024)

FAQs

How many people does a roast goose feed? ›

Choose goose of weight you need - 4.5kg (10lb) goose will feed 6-8 people, 6kg (13lb) goose 8-10 people. 2. Make sure the oven and roasting tin will accommodate the bird.

After the goose has roasted for 2 hours total, reduce oven to 275 and continue roasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes, about 15 minutes per pound total, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees at the center of the breast.

To achieve crisp fat, I recommend starting the day before roasting. Scald the bird over a sink on a wire rack with 2 or 3 kettles of boiling water slowly poured over the bird, pat dry, then leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

Roast goose isn't as popular as turkey for the Christmas feast - supermarkets sell just a few thousand geese per one million turkeys - but it's really worth considering if you fancy a change. It is truly delicious!

When buying whole duck or goose, allow about one to 1 1/2 pounds of raw weight per person. Raw boneless meat yields about three servings per pound after cooking. Estimate three to four-ounces per person for fully cooked products.

Pricking goose skin and blanching the bird in boiling water before roasting helps to render the large volume of fat. Roasting the goose breast-side down first and then rotating it partway through helps the meat to cook evenly.

Rinse goose inside and out with cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim as much of the excess fat as possible from the opening of the cavity. Remove the first and second joints of the wings, and set them aside for use in making the stock.

It's a multifaceted downfall — one which can be attributed to biology, refrigeration, New World availability and Dickens himself. In an unprecedented year, some home cooks are now giving it a second look. For centuries, roast goose had been a traditional element of winter feasts.

What to serve with roast goose at Christmas? ›

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon

This sweet-and-sour, traditional Bavarian braised red cabbage is always served with goose, duck, or pork. To make it, the cabbage is gently braised with tart apple, smoky bacon, orange zest, and spices.

A frozen, intensively reared bird will be at the cheapest end of the scale, with an organically fed, naturally reared bronze turkey, being at the most expensive. Geese though, cannot easily be factory farmed. For this reason they are raised as seasonal produce in lower quantities, which pushes the cost up.

This goose recipe goes especially well with spiced red cabbage and hasselback potatoes for the ultimate crowd-pleasing festive centrepiece. Debbie Major's maple-glazed roast goose recipe is served with a chestnut stuffing and sticky apples and pears, which add a lovely sweetness to this rich bird.

Goose has generally been replaced by the turkey in the United States. In the United States, the high price per pound of goose, coupled with the large size of the bird and low yield of meat to bone and fat, makes a goose more expensive per serving than Turkey.

A frozen, intensively reared bird will be at the cheapest end of the scale, with an organically fed, naturally reared bronze turkey, being at the most expensive. Geese though, cannot easily be factory farmed. For this reason they are raised as seasonal produce in lower quantities, which pushes the cost up.