Roast Goose with Five Spice and Honey Recipe

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7 and place a deep roasting pan fitted with a rack in the oven to heat up. If the goose is ready-trussed, remove the string and gently tug and loosen the legs and wings a little – this helps the bird to cook more evenly. Remove the giblets from the body cavity and trim off any excess fat from the neck and cavity.
2. In a small bowl, mix the orange and lemon zest with the five-spice powder, salt and pepper. Lightly score the skin of the goose in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut into the flesh. Rub the seasoning all over the skin and inside the cavity of the goose. Put the orange and lemon wedges into the cavity. (You can prepare to this stage a day ahead and refrigerate the goose.)
3. Place the goose on the rack in the preheated roasting pan, breast side up, and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the setting down to 170°C/Gas 3 and roast for another 30 minutes.
4. Take the goose out of the oven and pour off some of the fat from the roasting tin (save for roasting potatoes). Drizzle the honey over the goose, put back in the oven and roast for another 30 minutes – 1 hour, basting once or twice. Cover loosely with foil if it is browning too much towards the end of cooking. For medium-rare meat, the flesh should feel firm with a slight spring when lightly pressed; a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh (but not touching a bone) should register 70°C. Also, bear in mind that the bird will continue to cook in its own heat during resting.
5. Remove the goose from the oven and cover loosely with foil. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Carve the goose and serve with the sauce and accompaniments.