This year we hosted a Christmas Eve dinner with some close friends to round out the holiday table.  I decided that it was the perfect time to prepare my very first goose.  ever.

Not to fear though... this goose was soooo amazing!!  It was like the very best beef filet wrapped in the juiciest bacon you've ever had.  The meat was a wonderful, flavorful medium-rare and the skin was crispy with just the right amount of fat remaining to make it better than any other crispy animal fat I've ever enjoyed. If you've never had goose, you're really missing out.  Here's the story of how we got that awesome beast on the table:

We start with a hunt for recipes of roasted goose perfection.  There are two places that I go for absolute authoritative advice for cooking when it really counts: Christopher Kimball of America's Test Kitchen (or Cooks Illustrated/Cooks Country) and Hank Shaw of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook fame.  Hank will give me the in's and out's of wild food deliciousness (especially waterfowl), and Kimball will tell me exactly why it works (after testing a recipe 10 ways from Sunday).  I also consulted FoodNetwork UK since Roasted Goose is still a traditional British Christmas meal.

The first thing I discovered is that you're a complete knucklehead if you cook your goose (or duck) _beyond medium rare.  Ducks and geese are red meat birds – meaning the breasts of both need to be served pink.  I say it all the time: ducks are not chickens; so it follows that goose is not turkey.

OK... now we have more advice than we can shake a stick at and an almost 13lb free-range, all natural goose to cook for 6 people.  I took everyone's expert recommendations to heart and created my own recipe (I know you saw it coming).  The highlights I gleaned from the recipes were as follows:

FoodNetwork UK said to brine the goose for at least 24 hours.  I went with a basic brine (1 part sea salt, 1 part brown sugar).  And also followed their advice to the letter about stuffing the bird with fruit before roasting.

Kimball said that I should air-dry the goose in the refrigerator for 24 hours in order to tighten the skin so that during roasting the fat will be squeezed out. I neglected to do the boiling water dip first but I had totally intended to - I just got disorganized in the hubbub of preparing dinner.

Hank said, in his guest post at Simply Recipes, that I would better represent the Lord of the Marsh with a medium-rare breast and well roasted legs and wings. So he advises roasting the goose for a bit, then slicing off the whole breast to finish searing it in a pan once the legs are done. That way I'll still have a nice roasted flavor on the whole goose, crispy skin, and properly pink breast meat.  He also has a superb photo tour for prepping the goose that I found very helpful.

We didn't take lot of pictures because we were pretty busy bustling about getting everything ready for dinner but here's the one good picture we did manage to grab:

Pulled Pork, slaw, and buns all made from scratch.  It was raining outside all day after all :)

Edit 10/30/12:
Due to several responses requesting recipes, I've pulled them together for you.  I sort of don't use recipes... I mean, you'd never know it to see my cookbook collection.  I like to collect cookbooks... because I like to look up recipes, then mostly ignore them.  Primarily, they inspire me or remind me how good certain ingredients blend well with one another, or to remember what temperature to cook the lamb at.  Most of the time, I look up the recipe, survey the contents of the fridge and pantry, then I put together a facsimile of the recipe - it could have any wierdo thing in it before it's done! And, if it's something I make a lot (like bread), I come up with my own way of doing it.  So, here is MY way to make this meal... your pantry (and imagination) may vary:

Moose Manor Pulled Pork
Feeds a hungry crowd, approx 12 folks

1 (5 pound) pork pork shoulder
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 (12 ounce) cans of root beer
2 c Hickory barbecue sauce
2 t. Hickory Liquid Smoke (optional)

1. Place the thinly sliced onion in a layer on the bottom of the crockpot, sit the pork roast on top of that layer of onion, and pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook for 6 hours on high or until pork shreds easily with a fork.

2. After pork has cooked, drain and discard the root beer. Shred the pork and place it back in the slow cooker. Pour the liquid smoke and barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine.

3. Serve on fresh rolls topped with a heap of slaw.

.

Apple and Yogurt Coleslaw
(adapted and Moosified from Bon Appetit)
Serves 12

    5 c. shredded green cabbage
    2 medium granny smith apples, diced 
    1 c. diced fennel bulb (optional - goes
    great with the tart apples)
    1/2 c. diced red onion
    1 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
    1/2 c. mayonnaise
    2 T. distilled white vinegar
    1 T. fresh lemon juice
    2 t. grated garlic
    Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper


1. Combine cabbage, onion, apple, and fennel in a large bowl. Toss to mix well.

2. Whisk yogurt, mayo, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

3. No more than 20 minutes before serving, add dressing to suit (adding earlier will result in a soggy slaw) and toss to evenly coat. I like mine a little dryer than most so I don't need a ton of dressing.

DO AHEAD: Make slaw mix and dressing to hold in separate bowls, cover, then chill.

Hand Rolled Yeasty
Sandwich Buns
This recipe makes tasty bread!
Serves 12

1 T. active dry yeast
1/4 c. sugar (or 1 T Agave Nectar)
1 c. water at 115 degrees
1 egg
1 t. salt
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1. Place yeast and sugar in mixing bowl, add warm water, give a little stir and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes

2. Combine egg and salt and whip with a fork until well mixed

3. Once yeast has bloomed, add egg mixture, then flour into mixing bowl, mix well.  Knead with lightly floured hands until dough leaves sides of bowl, about 1 minute

4. Remove dough from mixing bowl using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.

5. Grease large cookie sheet with shortening. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Using greased hands, shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

6. Cover and let rise in warm place for approx 2 hours or until tripled in size (about the size of a standard hamburger bun). MooseTip: cover the dough-balls with plastic wrap topped by a dishtowl, then place a casserole dish of hot water in the bottom of a cold oven, slip your cookie sheets onto the racks and close in all that steamy, yeasty goodness until they reach the right size.

7. Heat oven to 375°F. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack.
 

DO AHEAD TIP: After you have shaped the dough into rolls and placed them on the cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap. You can refrigerate them 4 hours up to 48 hours. Before baking, remove rolls from the refrigerator and follow remaining directions (starting with #6) 

Not pictured, but certainly enjoyed alongside the pulled pork sandwich last night:

Garlic-Moosebreath
Brussels Sprouts
Serves 2 (or one hungry Moose)

2 handfuls of Brussels Sprouts, halved
2  T. (or 3, whatever) Butter
2 garlic cloves (or more!), minced
Sea Salt



1. Melt butter in medium frypan

2. Add Brussels Sprouts halves, garlic, and salt to taste

3. Over medium-low heat, cover pan and cook for 3 minutes to soften sprouts.  Once they're a Cyndi Lauper bright green, uncover and turn heat up to medium.  Toss and brown until the edges are golden.

4. Enjoy!

OK, I hope you make these recipes your own and manipulate them in a way that makes your tummy sing!  Be well, do good cooking, and keep in touch.