planning on roasting a goose for dinner on Christmas Eve. Last year I roasted a few ducks which turned out well; did the recommended “score the skin on the breast, thighs and legs” to render out excess fat. Is the same thing necessary for a goose?
ETA: also, any recommendations for a sauce, glaze, or something to accompany would be welcome too
I’ve done a few ducks and one goose. IME, goose is even fattier than duck.
An older thread… seems to indicate some issues with grease.
MUCH more fatty.
You’ll likely need to drain the roasting pan a few times.
Yeah, goose is really greasy.
My grandmother used to prick the skin all over with a fork and rub it with salt, then put a cut-up apple and onion in the cavity (adds flavor and helps absorb some of the fat, you throw them away after the goose is roasted.) A hell of a lot of fat would render out of it, but the cooked goose wasn’t any fattier than duck that way.
She served hers with some kind of fruit compote. I had it in a restaurant with citrus glaze. The meat is very rich so fruit or sweet/sour flavor goes nicely with it.
Yeah, the one time I cooked goose I was stunned by how much fat rendered out. It felt like equal parts meat and fat, by volume.
Tasty, though. Not the moistest meat, though – gravy is a necessity.
Goose grease used to be the go-to remedy for cough, colds and sore throats. And yes, you will have to drain your roasting pan at least once while you cook your goose.
You’ll find a LOT of old fashioned home remedies which call for goose grease. Cook one goose, and apparently you’ll have buckets of grease left over!
~VOW
The best thing about goose, aside from its low fat content, is the fact that it’s extremely low in fat. It’s a lean meat, similar to chicken. It’s heart healthy, with minimal saturated fat. It cooks quickly because it is so incredibly lean; the skin doesn’t even need to be removed. If I remember correctly, a twelve-ounce serving of goose breast has about half a gram of saturated fat and 40 calories.
It’s greasy though.
my brain is full of fuck
geese are much fattier.
But is your ear full of whoosh?
maybe, but if I’m being whooshed, I’m still not getting it…
Just be assured you are being whooshed.
You will be amazed at how much fat renders out when roasting a goose. Before roasting remove all of the loose fat from around the neck and from the body cavity. You also want to be sure the fat deposits on the back near the base of the tail have been removed. If there is any yellowish stuff there it is fat and you want to get it out. Someone up above said their grandmother would prick the skin with a fork to allow the fat to escape during cooking - you absolutely want to do this.
Julia Child recommends basting the bird during cooking every 15 to 20 minutes with boiling water to help the fat render out. She says it will “help in the dissolution of its subcutaneous fat, which is more copious for goose than for duck.”
She also says prunes and foie gras make a great stuffing for goose. I’m sure they do.
Save the fat. Roast potatoes. Have joy.
What I was about to say. Also parsnips — delicious.
Hasn’t anyone here heard of schmaltz? That fat has a use.