River Roast Wild Goose Recipes

ROASTED WILD GOOSE OR DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Rinse and pat goose dry. Place cold butter in a large bowl and add cranberries, raisins, orange, onion, apple, sage, tarragon, basil, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Mix well using your hands until you have a large ball of butter and fruit.
• Stuff the ball of butter into the body cavity of the goose. Close cavity and tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Sew cavity shut to protect flavor and moisture, if desired.
• Place 2 large layers of foil on a work surface. Make a bed of bacon slices in the center of the foil by placing 4 or 5 slices side by side. Lay goose on top, breast-side up. Cover breast and legs with remaining bacon. Bring foil up and fold, sealing in the bird, leaving small space around the bird for air circulation. Place foil-covered bird into a roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the largest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
• Remove from the oven, leave the bird breast-side down, and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn the bird breast-side up and let rest for 10 minutes. Open foil pouch very carefully, as there will be a lot of steam. Remove and discard all stuffing and transfer bird to a serving platter. Slice, carve, and serve, or serve whole and carve at the table.

ROAST GOOSE

Steps:

• Place the honey, vinegar, and water in a pot large enough to hold the goose, submerged. Bring the liquid to the boil and add the raw goose to the pot. Return to the boil, reduce the heat and cook the goose at a strong simmer for 20 minutes to render some of the grease as well as begin to tenderize the normally chewy bird. Remove the goose from the liquid and allow to cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prick the goose skin all around the carcass. Season the cavity with half of the salt and pepper, add the herbs, onion and garlic. Truss the legs and season the outside of the goose with the remaining salt and pepper and the olive oil.
• Preheat a heavy roasting pan for 10 minutes. Place the goose, breast side down, on a rack in the roasting pan and roast in the oven, skimming the fat and reserving it for another use, for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn the goose breast side up and roast, basting it with pan juices and skimming the fat, for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours more, or until the juices run clear when the fleshy part of the thigh is pricked with a fork and a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.
• Transfer the goose to a platter, remove the trussing string, and keep the goose warm, covered loosely with foil. Skim off all but 1/4 cup of fat from the pan juices, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, until it has browned slightly. Add the stock in a stream, whisking, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and strain the gravy into a heated sauceboat.

RIVER ROAST WILD GOOSE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Rinse goose, drain and pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Sprinkle cavity and all surfaces with salt and pepper. With a sharp knife, cut a quarter inch deep X in the root end of each onion. Fill goose body with onions and the fresh or dried sage. Close the cavity and tie legs together with butchers cord. Place in roasting pan on rack, breast-side-up. Cover with bacon slices and roast for about 2 hours. Remove bacon strips and dust goose with half of the flour. Continue roasting until crisp and done, about 30 minutes more. Transfer to heated platter and keep warm. Skim fat from pan juices and add remaining flour to juices, stirring over medium heat until smooth and thickened. Add stock slowly, stirring. Bring to boil and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on side as sauce. Serve with hot applesauce and baby Brussels sprouts. Fun Fact: In 1861, George Armstrong Custer graduated from West Point at the bottom of his class. However, during the Civil War (1861-1865), his skills at war propelled him to the temporary rank of brigadier general. After the war, Custer was required to revert to his previous rank of captain in the small regular army, but was always respectfully referred to as "General Custer." In 1866 he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the newly authorized 7th Cavalry. Sioux and Cheyenne warriors defeated Custer on June 25, 1876, at the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana, which resulted in his death and a total loss of his troops. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, near Hardin, Montana, is the site of the battle, commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand. He remains the youngest general in U.S. history.