Roast Goose

We started a new holiday tradition about 3 years ago – roast goose for Christmas dinner.  This is an interpretation of something that was attributed to Gordon Ramsay.

The left-over goose fat is excellent for cast iron roasted potatoes!

If you roast a goose as part of a feast for just two people, you may have leftovers that you don’t know what to do with. The rich dark meat of goose makes a unique pie that will give you several more meals.

Print Recipe

Roast Goose

Ingredients

• 1 Goose
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons Chinese five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 or 4 tablespoons honey

Instructions

• Dry the goose with paper towels , then rest the goose overnight in the refrigerator uncovered to help it dry.
• Bring the goose up to room temperature for a couple of hours.
• Preheat your oven to 425 ºF.
• Zest 2 oranges and 2 lemons.
  
• Using a large mortar and pestle, mix the orange and lemon zest with the  five-spice powder and sea salt.  Grind it together into a paste.
  
• Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the goose in a criss-cross diamond pattern.  Just score the skin, try not to cut into the pink flesh.  This will help render the fat while cooking.
• Rub the citrus and spice mixture all over the outside and get it well into the criss-cross cuts you made into the skin.  Rub the mixture in as much as you can!
  
• Season the cavity of the goose with salt and pepper.  Then cut the oranges and lemons into wedges and stuff them into the cavity.
• Put the goose in the roasting pan and and roast for 15 minutes at 425 ºF.
• Turn the oven down to 350 ºF and spoon out any fat that may have drained, Save the fat!  It is great for roasting potatoes!  Then roast for another 30 minutes.
• Spoon out any fat that may have drained, drizzle the goose the honey, and roast for another 30 minutes. 
  
•  Use an instant read thermometer to check the thickest part of a thigh, it should read 170 ºF. Roast it for a few more minutes if needed.
• Remove the goose from the oven and wrap it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
• Carve and serve.

Notes

We save all the goose fat we can and store it in small tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator.  It is great for roasting or frying vegetables or eggs.