How to Stuff and Roast a Goose

At one time goose was THE thing to have for Christmas dinner. In this video I clean and prepare a shop-bought goose, make a Rosemary & Mushroom Stuffing, and roast the goose. You can usually get geese in the butchers up until New Year so if you didn't have one for Christmas, there may still be time...

Ingredients

1 goose
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup honey

The stuffing

250 g (8oz) mushrooms, chopped
120 g (4 oz) breadcrumbs
100 g (3 oz) smoked halal sausage, chopped
10 spring onions, chopped
60 g (2 oz) butter
1½ tbsp dried rosemary


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Remove any quills and tags from the outside of the goose. Rip off the excess fat from the rear of the goose – it should come away easily.
Put your hand inside the goose (seriously!) and pull out any innards that may be in there, especially the windpipe.
Cut away any excess skin at the front of the goose.
Give goosie a nice bath in some clean, cold water. Change the water at least once, and flush him through with running water. Pat him dry inside and out. We don’t want him to catch a chill, do we?!
Place the goose on a wire mesh in a roasting tray. Prick the skin all over. Place in an oven at 190°C for 45 minutes.
Prepare the stuffing: Melt the butter in a pan and add the spring onions and the chorizo. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
Place the mixture into a bowl, add in the breadcrumbs and the rosemary. Mix well.
Remove the goose from the oven and lower the temperature to 150°C. Pour any fat out from the goose and place the goose on a plate. Tip the fat out from the bottom of the roasting tin.
Stuff the goose from the rear. Push the stuffing to the front of the bird with a rolling pin.
Place the goose back on the wire rack in the roasting tin. Add ¼” of water into the roasting tin. Baste the goose with a mixture of the orange juice and honey.
Calculate the cooking time and pop goosie back into the oven. Baste every 35-40 minutes with the orange juice and honey.
Thirty minutes before the end of the calculated cooking time, check to see if the goose is cooked. In the thickest part of the thigh insert a skewer. If the juice runs clear, the bird is cooked. Alternatively use a meat thermometer – it should read 90°C.
Allow the goose to rest on a plate for 15 minutes before carving.

Titli's Tips
How to calculate the cooking time: Add together the weight of the goose and the stuffing. Cook for 1 hour per kilo (25 minutes per pound) LESS 45 minutes for the time already cooked.