We cooked a goose for Christmas Eve and the results were ho-hum. After weeks of dreaming of the large bird from A Christmas Carol, hanging in the window as big as Tiny Tim, arriving at our doorstep, the catalogue-ordered bird turned out to be much ado about nada. After paying 100 smacks for the free range, pampered fowl from Dean and Deluca, visions of the best x-mas feed flapped through our heads. Vegetarians you can click to another page now.
Alas I have no pix, I was too busy up to my eyeballs in sage, onion and goose fat to locate a cam. We stuffed the cavity w/ bread, onions, sage, carrots, etc. and gently tucked the bird into the oven for three hours — while basting constantly — until golden brown. It looked, as one would suspect, like a large duck. The bony arms (wings?) folded breastside where a bit off-putting. When it came time to carving the beast, where was the meat? It yielded several sizable slivers, but nothing like the abundance of turkey or chicken. And the color was dark, texture like a tough roastbeef. Not too oily, but by no means a delicacy. What saved the day was the sides: braised cabbage (tangy and Russian) homemade applesauce (a great counterpoint) sliced parsnip sautéed in goose fat (delish), garlic mashed and mixed greens salad.
Relatives considered this a gourmet, wintry treat and all seemed pleased. But when I asked who wanted seconds a laudable "No" rang through the loft. And several goose pieces where still on the plates (some hidden under applesauce) when the dishes were cleared. I don't regret our festive fowl foray, but wonder has anyone fared better w/ goose?
I roasted a goose several years ago; I can't recall if I had ordered it through Lowell Provision or Whole Foods. Prior to cooking it I did lots of looking through various cookbooks and recipes for hints. Most warned of smoking goose fat unless it was drained from the pan several times in the cooking process.
The final product was delcious and tender, also meatier than you report. I love doing roast potatoes in a bit of goose fat, as well as making some faux confit de canard, so I stored the goose fat in jars in the fridge until I got a bit tired of looking at them.
Whatever leftover bits of meat were served on a bed of baby greens the next day for a lovely salad.
I HOPE NONE OF YOU GOT SICK,AFTER READING ABOUT THE DEAN AND DELUCA STORE IN NEW YORK CITY.
HAPPY NEW YEAR