Our friend Kerthy threw a second Thanksgiving on New Years and it was a big success.  We had a turkey, goose, rabbit (or was it a squirrel?), cornbread stuffing, green beans, yams, green salad, apple pie, pumpkin pie and a lovely group of happy, thankful people.  Hooray!

This is the second time I have made this goose recipe and I have to admit that I remember it turning out better the first time when I made it at Sxip and Rima’s old apartment on Bergen for Christmas.  It was many years ago and my memory may be clouded by the fact that I drank all of the port that did not go into the goose.  I generally prefer duck to goose meat, but I am impressed by the quantity and yumminess of the fat that a goose renders and I also love goose soup stock.  I once served hot goose stock with sherry and lime juice to Sxip and Sarah and it still comes up in conversation sometimes.

I ordered the goose from my local butcher, Micheal’s Prime Meats.  If any of you live in the glamourous neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn I strongly recommend this place.  It’s on Nostrand between Linden and Martense.  It has been owned by the same Italian family since the 1930s and they engage in the kind of counter banter that NYC used to be famous for.  It is such a joy to go in there and hear the butchers engage in a loving battle of wits and flattery with little old ladies from around the world.  Years ago, I ordered a huge amount of duck fat from them to make confit.  I happened to be very dressed up when I went to pick it up and the guy behind the counter called out “Jackie Onassis is here to get her duck fat!”  This time I called them during the aftermath of the snow storm that totally shut the city down to see if they could get me a goose by the next morning.  The owner said “I can get you a goose… but I should warn you that you may have to mortgage your home to pay for it.”  All the same, he went to the market and got me the goose without even asking for a credit card number to insure my order.

This goose recipe is from the Silver Palate Good Times cookbook (see the cookbook tab for more info).  I recommend serving it with Rima’s Indian Inspired Green Beans, braised red cabbage and apples and baked potatoes.  I’ll be posting those recipes soon!

BRAISED GOOSE WITH PORT AND VEGETABLES

Before you make this make sure that you have very large, and very deep roasting pan that can support a lot of weight ( Or very large, very deep disposable pan with a cookie sheet under it).  Goose fat overflowing into your oven is not only messy but a fire hazard!

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dry thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• goose giblets coarsly chopped
• 1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 goose (9-11 pounds)
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups ruby port
• 1/4 cup flour (I use bob’s red mill gluten-free flour mix)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes.
3. Add the thyme and bay leaves and cook another 10 minutes.
4. Add the giblets and mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Add the parsley and remove from the heat.
6. Rinse and dry the goose.  Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff it with 1/3 of the vegetable mixture.
7. Place the goose in a roasting pan with the neck beside it and roast for 20 minutes.
8. While the goose is roasting add the flour to the remaining vegetables and cook for a few minutes to thicken.
9. Stir the stock and port in to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
10. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees.  Spoon the vegetables and sauce around the goose.
11. Roast and baste every 2o minutes.  You should cook it 20 minutes for every pound.
12. Let the meat stand for 10 minutes before carving.  Strain the gravy and skim the fat off.  Serve the goose and the braised vegetables with the gravy and save the fat for future use (I recommend making winter squash panade with red wine aka duck fat soup on this blog).  Don’t forget to save all of the bones and make stock from the carcass!  Goose is expensive!  EAT ALL OF IT!