Big Bird - Goose

Until I came  to Ireland I only ever had a goose for Christmas. As a matter of fact, the smell of a roasting goose is one of my first "smell" memories. My grandmother used to keep geese and when we  visited her in our holidays, summer or autumn, it was our job to bring them to the little pond near her house (this was in East Germany). Around the feast day of St. Martin (11.Nov.) the first geese would  end up on the table, in honour of St.Martin. Seemingly he was warned by geese and thus could flee from whomever.
I never forget the smell wafting through the house when grandmother slowly roasted the goose stuffed with apples and majoram. I still roast my goose the way she taught me .

Once a goose got me into bad trouble, I was six going on to seven. We were going back to West Germany on the train and as a going away present grandmother had given us a goose, plucked and oven ready. At the border we had to leave the train and the customs officers would check all suitcases. They were looking especially for food, as there was a food shortage in the Fifties in East Germany and you were not allowed to take any out.

The customs official opened my mother's case, prodded here, prodded there, then he went to the corner where mother had put the dirty wash. "No need to check there, Sir", I offered quickly, " there is only a goose in there". I do not wish to know what mother would have liked to do with me that very instant. He looked at me,  looked at my mother, and while closing the case, he said,"Well, then there is no need to look there", and with that he let us go. Needless to say that this was the last goose which was smuggled between the East and the West by us.

Anyway here is how to roast successfully a goose.

Ingredients

1 goose, approx 4kg

salt and pepper

500g apples (approx)

2 Tbsp dried Majoram

400 ml chicken stock

some water approx 375ml

1Tbsp flour

Method

Heat  the oven to 175C or 375 F 

Season the goose with salt and pepper in the inside (make sure you have removed the giblets)

Fill the goose with the majoram and the apples, which are cut into quarters, secure the end with a cocktail stick or two (or not, I just stick more apple in)

Lay the goose with the breast side down on the roasting tin. Pour approx 125 ml water in the tin.

Turn the goose around after about 11/2 hrs. add 250 ml of water. Keep basting the goose at regular intervals.

The goose needs about 3hrs roasting time. About 15 min. before the end turn the oven to 225 C or 425F. Take the goose out of the roasting tin, keep warm.

Making the gravy

With the chicken stock, boil up the juice in the roasting tin, pour through a sieve. If the liquid has too much fat remove it with a spoon.

Thicken the liquid with the flour, which has been made into a  paste by adding some water. Pour into the liquid stirring continuously. Should you by any chance have some lumps. simply pour through a sieve and remove same lumps. Bring to the boil for a minute or two. Adjust the seasoning.

Ready to carve!

Serve the goose with roast potaoes and (tradionationally) red cabbage. Needless to say you can use any vegetable you like.