Danish Roast Goose with Prunes & Apples

Bergy's Note:

This is a traditional Christmas Eve dinner served with sweet & sour red cabbage, glazed potatoes and new carrots. The prunes & apples are served as a side dish. You can start the first 30 minutes of roasting at 400F then turn to 375F for the balance of the cooking time. Your goose should not be over 10 lbs or it could be tough

• Total Time: 3 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 35 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 8 ounces prunes
• water
• 9 lbs goose
• ½ lemon
• salt and pepper
• 4 medium apples , peeled,cored & sliced
• 5 cups boiling chicken stock

Directions:

1. Soak the pitted prunes overnight.
2. Clean out all excess fat from the goose (keep the fat to render for later use).
3. Rub the goose inside and out with the lemon salt& pepper.
4. Stuff the bird with the prunes& apples and truss the bird.
5. Prick the goose all over to help the fat escape while roasting.
6. Place the goose on a roasting rack on it's side in a 375F oven.
7. After 30 minutes pour off the fat.
8. Pour in the boiling stock& continue cooking.
9. Baste the goose from time to time.
10. After 1 1/2 hours turn the goose on it's other side.
11. Roast for another 1 1/2 hours.
12. 30 minutes before the goose is cooked pour off the pan juices, leave to cool and skim off the fat.
13. During the last 15 minutes of cooking lay the goose on it's back leave the oven door ajar to allow the skin to crisp or alternatively baste with several tablespoons of cold water.
14. Use the pan juices (fat removed to make your gravy).

Reviews

[suzidoer]

Wow, what a terrific recipe! Usually when I roast a goose, the skin is too soft or too crispy. Cooking the goose on the SIDE instead of breast up remedied this problem. The skin roasted beautifully like a turkey or chicken. I never once covered this goose with tinfoil and didn't have to. The skin did not burn at all. The fat must travel through the whole bird and the breast to drain and thus the goose meat was savory and moist like I've never been able to cook it before. I did soak the apples in rum about 30 minutes before. I did not soak the prunes on the advice of another reader. Now, I did chop up a couple of gloves of garlic and 1 small onion and stuffed the goose with them along with the prunes and the rum-soaked apples. I believe the alcohol releases the sugars in the apples and the whole combination of the apples, prunes, garlic, onion, and lemon juice permeated the goose meat beautifully and gave it a very Christmas taste-- sweet and savory. Best goose we ever had. Our Christmas guests, mostly elderly people who remember eating goose for Christmas dinner, raved about how good it was. Do use a meat thermometer properly inserted just behind the drumstick into the body. Cook to 185 degrees for perfect bird. I cooked an 11 lb bird. Baste the goose infrequently, like every hour. Too much opening the door lets out the steam and the goose can get dry. I also used 1 cup of wine (red or white is fine) mixed with the goose fat I got after 1 1/2 hours of cooking. The wine and goose fat made a beautiful basting that flavored the skin and meat exquisitely! We are Portuguese and like garlic and wine on everything! How did we get the goose to stay on it's side? It just did, all by itself! I was concerned before trying it that it wouldn't stay put, but it did perfectly with no propping up of any kind. Remember to use a low-sided pan so the bird is not covered. Best to use a 2" side pan with a rack under it to lift the goose up so all parts are exposed to the cooking so the skin is roasted evenly. Lovely recipe, thanks for posting it, it will be our Christmas Goose recipe tradition from now on. P.S. I did not use any of the stuffed items, prunes, apples etc, to make anything else, just tossed them. Our stuffing recipe does not call for them. I did use the goose liver, gizzards in our stuffing though.

[kimmy #2]

My recipe was a little different. It is half and half apple and prune with a little onion. Do not soak the prunes as they will absorb the grease and add sweetness to the meat. You will still have too much grease but the meat will be a little sweeter.