Ingredients

Preparation Instructions

1. Thaw the goose, rinse in cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the giblets and the first and second joints of the wings. Set aside for gravy. Prick the skin surface all over with a sharp knife or needle, without cutting into the meat.
3. Peel carrots, and cut carrots and celery in half. Peel garlic cloves and cut in half. Place two carrot halves, 2 celery halves, 5 garlic clove halves, and thyme inside the cavity. Cut the lemon in half, and rub all over skin while squeezing out juice. Generously sprinkle salt all over the goose (more than you think you need) and lightly pepper.
4. Place breast-side up on a wire rack in a deep roasting pan (plenty of fat will drip off the goose).
5. Place the goose in the oven. Every 30 minutes, baste the bird with the pan juices, then scoop out the fat into a heatproof bowl.
6. After 1 hour, reduce the temperature to 325. If it’s starting to brown too much, cover it loosely with foil. Continue to roast and baste for an additional hour. The goose should be well browned.
7. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast without touching the bone should read 180 degrees. If it’s not yet 180 degrees, roast longer in 15 minute increments until done.
8. Remove roast from oven, and transfer to another pan or cutting board. Place two layers of foil and a tea towel on top of the goose, and let rest for 30 minutes while you finish up the gravy and side dishes. It won’t go cold, and will be moist and easier to carve.
9. To make the gravy, chop and brown all the giblets and wing tips, and place in a large frying pan with a bit of goose fat. Sprinkle with salt. Chop up the yellow onion, add to the pan, and fry until browned. Add the white flour, and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
10. Turn the heat to high and add white wine. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock, remaining carrot and celery halves, and bay leaf.
11. Turn down to a bare simmer, stirring occasionally. You can simmer this for a while if you’re busy with other aspects of your meal.
12. Remove the garlic from the goose cavity and place into the gravy, and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove the wing pieces, giblet chunks, bay leaf, celery, and carrots from the gravy (a couple chunks of celery and carrot left in are fine, but blending all of them would be too much).
13. Use a blender to blend the gravy in batches. If it’s too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. If it’s too thin, you can simmer it down longer on the stove.
14. Set the table and serve!