Recipes

A favourite from Henrietta Green - how to roast goose - a good alternative to the sometimes dull turkey - to perfection.

Serves 6

    1 fresh goose, weighing 4.5-5kg/10-11lb
    675g/1½lb eating apples, cored and cut into quarters
    2 medium onions, cut into quarters
    8 sage leaves, chopped
    1 cinnamon stick, crumbled
    150ml/¼pint/1 cup dry cider
    salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Prick the skin of the goose with a fork and rub it all over with salt and pepper. Pull out any loose fat from the cavity.

Mix the apples with the onion, sage leaves, cinnamon, cider and some salt and pepper. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes, then stuff the bird with it.

Place the goose on a rack, breast-side up, and put in a preheated 200°C/400°F/gas6 oven. After 15 minutes, turn the goose over so that it lies breast-side down and turn down the oven to 160°C/325°F/ gas3. Allow 20 minutes per 450g/lb plus an extra 45 minutes when roasting a goose in this way; a 4.5kg/10lb goose will need about 4 hours. Although this method takes longer than breast-side up roasting, it means that you need not baste the bird; but remember to turn it breast-side up for the last 90 minutes to brown it.