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Ingredients

• 1 goose

Optional Ingredients

• Salt and pepper

• 2 onions peeled and quartered/garlic

• Herbs: thyme, bay leaves, sage

• Flour/cornstarch/Bisto etc.

Equipment

• Large rack to hold goose in oven roasting pan

• Very long-handled spoon for basting (most bulb basters are too short)

• String

• Toothpicks

Method

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (degrees F).

2. Cooking time is calculated at 20 minutes to the pound plus 20 minutes.

3. If the neck, heart, gizzard, and liver (giblets) are not separate in the usual small plastic packet, remove them.

4. Pull out any loose fat from inside the goose. Save it.

5. Place some of the goose fat in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

6. As soon as it is melted a bit, add the neck and giblets and turn the heat to medium-low.

7. This is where you can add optional root vegetables and onion.

8. Add water to completely cover everything in the saucepan and let it simmer to start the gravy.

9. If you plan on stuffing the goose, this is the time. However, this can add to an already long cooking time, so it’s better to cook stuffing in a separate pan. For flavour, rub salt and pepper all over the body cavity, and place your favourite herbs and onion quarters in the goose body cavity at this time.

10. Chopped onion and herbs can be added to the neck cavity before you turn the fatty neck flap over and under. Secure it with a toothpick.

11. With a small very sharp paring knife, make small holes in the goose skin. This is to let out the fat. Do not cut the flesh. The skin is fairly loose so can be lifted slightly with your fingertips to ease the placement of your tiny cuts.

12. Rub salt and pepper over the whole goose.

13. Turn the bird onto its breast on the rack in the roasting pan. If the wings and/or legs are floppy, tie them loosely with string. (Roasting breast-side down first then on its back helps it to cook evenly).

14. Set timer for 30minutes. Baste the bird with the melted fat in the roasting pan.

15. Turn heat to 360 degrees F

16. Keep basting every 10/15 minutes.

17. At half-time (1½ hours for a 9-pound bird) take the goose out of the oven and carefully turn it onto its back.

18. Return to oven and cook for the remaining time.

19. Keep basting every 10/15 minutes.

20. Finish the gravy: Put 2-3 tablespoons of goose fat into a pan over medium heat

21. Add 2-3 tablespoons flour and mix well with a whisk.

22. Strain the gravy liquid into a bowl.

23. Whisk most of the gravy liquid into the roux (flour mix) slowly.

24. Bring this to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.

25. Pick out all the meat and vegetable scraps from the sieve; blenderize with the rest of the gravy liquid.

26. Add this to the gravy.

27. Alternatively, you can combine steps 22 and 25 and thicken with your favourite thickener – cornstarch, Bisto, etc.