Christmas Lunch: Simon Hopkinson’s Goose Recipe

Note: do not boil, as the arrowroot will break down and thin the gravy. When the goose is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes or so before carving. Serve with the gravy.

Ingredients

• 1 goose, dressed weight about 5kg (11lb), with giblets
• Maldon sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5kg (3lb 6oz) potatoes, peeled, chopped into large chunks and rinsed thoroughly
• 4 onions, coarsely chopped
• 50g (2oz) goose or duck fat
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1tbsp sage leaves, chopped
• grated rind 2 lemons

For the gravy

• 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
• 25g (1oz) goose fat
• 1 goose neck bone, coarsely chopped
• 1 goose gizzard, cleaned (ask your butcher) and coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 2tbsp Calvados
• 150ml (½pt) Madeira dessert wine
• 300ml (½pt) strong chicken stock
• 1dsp redcurrant jelly
• 1dsp arrowroot, mixed with a little water

Method

1. The day before cooking, puncture the skin of the goose with a knife to make small holes all over. Then place the goose in the sink and pour over a kettle of water. Dry with kitchen paper and leave uncovered (preferably near a fan) for a few hours or ideally overnight. This will produce a crisp skin with moist flesh.

2. The next day preheat the oven to 220 C, 200 C, 425 F, gas 7. Rub salt all over the goose and sprinkle some salt and pepper inside the cavity (remember to remove all the fat inside the goose and any gizzards etc first). Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain well and coarsely mash them. Fry the onions in the goose fat until golden brown. Add the garlic and stir into the mashed potato along with the sage, lemon rind and pepper. Pack the mixture into the cavity of the goose. Now put the goose on a wire rack in a roomy roasting tin. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

3. Turn the temperature down to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4. Cook the goose for a further 2½ hours. There is no need to baste, as the more the fat runs off the goose the better. Every half an hour, pour off the fat from the tray under the goose and set aside to cool.

4. While the goose is cooking, make the gravy. Fry the bacon in the goose fat in a heavy-based saucepan until crisp and brown. Add the goose neck bone and gizzard and cook until well coloured; add the vegetables and cook until well coloured. Pour off any excess fat and add the Calvados and Madeira. Bring to the boil and reduce until syrupy. Pour in the chicken stock and redcurrant jelly and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Allow the mixture to settle and lift off any fat that is floating on the surface with some kitchen paper. Whisk in the arrowroot and bring the gravy back to a simmer until clear and slightly thickened. Keep warm.