- Zsuzsanna C.
- Monday, March 11
In Hungary, eating goose goes back to medieval times. St. Martin's Day folk customs are dating back to the times when farmers got their pay for the season, and they made a goose dinner with good wine. Nowadays farmers fatten up their goose and sell their goose livers at high price; a popular food in Hungary. My family roasts geese for Christmas and Easter also. Goose dinner is popular in Europe; the fowl can be peacock, swan, duck, pheasant or guinea fowl.
For the stuffing
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 lbs. bread or buns, soaked in water and excess water squeezed out
- Or 1 lb. bread plus 1 lb. grated apples or grated sweet potatoes, or a blend of those
- 6-8 eggs
- 2 leeks or 2 green onions chopped
- 6 plump garlic cloves pressed
- 2-4 tbsp dried savory
- 2 tsp dried savory black pepper
- 2 bunches of parsley (Italian or curly), leaves and stalks chopped fine
- 2 tbsp salt
For the potato/vegetable bedding
- 4 lbs. potato (additional 1 lb. per person, if over 4 persons), peeled and cut into chunks or sliced thin
Optional: vegetables can be sweet potatoes cubed, cauliflower or broccoli
STEP 1
Make the stuffing. Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the leeks/green onions, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until soft. Mash the leeks/onions, bread, grated vegetables, eggs with yolk together with the parsley, savory, and salt and pepper. It should be soft but not runny. If too wet, add breadcrumbs to adjust moisture level. In a microwave-safe container heat it with frequent mixing to bring temperature to very warm and soft, but not fully baked.
STEP 2
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pull out the two big lumps of fat from inside the cavity of the goose so as to hang outside. Remove also the neck from the cavity. Use a skewer or fork to prick the skin all over, especially on the legs – try not to pierce the flesh. Rub lots of salt (mixed with marjoram to taste) all over the skin including under the wings and onto the legs and rub salt in the cavity also. Using a wooden spoon separate the skin from the body side wall and breast and stuff salt and dry marjoram under the skin on the sides, and on the breast under the skin. Pack the cavity with stuffing (may not all fit inside), then loosely tie the legs together with string (not plastic).
STEP 3
Lightly oil the roasting pan. Use a large roasting pan, also a deep one, that is long enough for the bird and can accommodate the fat. Fill the roasting pan with the potato/vegetable bedding. Also add the neck and any liver if it was packed with the goose. Do not overfill with potatoes. Place the roasting rack over the potato bedding. Arrange the potato bedding and the excess stuffing around the goose leaving some potatoes directly under the bird.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Lift the goose onto a roasting rack. Roast for 30 minutes during which the majority of the fat from the breast will run out and drip over the potatoes. Reduce the oven to 325 F and roast for another 2 ½ hours. Check during roasting that the fat released from the goose hasn’t risen to touch the bird or to the brim of the pan– if it’s close, carefully scoop it out. Avoid spilling the hot oil.
At the end of the roasting time, check if the bird is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh to see if the juices run clear; if not, give it another 15 minutes and check again. If you are using a baking core thermometer, insert it so that the tip is the middle of the body cavity under the breast in the middle of the stuffing. Core temperature should reach 180 F. Also, another sign that the bird is ready when the bony tip of the wing is golden brown and easy to snap. The skin should be golden brown, but not burnt. Remove from the oven when ready. Allow the goose to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
STEP 4
Gravy is optional. There will be plenty of juice under the bird that can serve as gravy. The potato with optional vegetables that fried in the fat and juices are served with the meat.