Unlike in China, where it is a staple at many restaurants, goose is rarely served at American dining establishments. However, it is a favorite at Cantonese eateries. The people of Southern China and Hong Kong are masters at preparing this fowl.
However, the marinade for a Cantonese roast goose has characteristics that are very similar to those in this roast goose dish (orange peel, ginger, soy, five spice, garlic, etc.). Why don’t you goose fat-roast some potatoes? Yep.
This recipe shows how to prepare a goose for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. You won’t regret it at all.
Ingredients:
- 10 lb. of goose
- 3 lbs. of potatoes
- 5 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 slices of ginger
- 2 scallions (4-inch lengths)
- 2 oranges
- 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of five spice powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage)
Instructions:
- When you’re ready to roast the goose, make sure it’s at or near room temperature. Beginning with a bird that has only been partially thawed is extremely unlucky.
- Prepare your geese for roasting by taking off the giblets and the neck. Remove any excess fat deposits from the interior using a sharp knife.
- Wash the goose well (the cavity included) and pat dry. Rather than removing the neck skin flap, tuck it beneath the goose to keep the opening closed.
- For more even cooking, untie the goose if it is trussed and spread its legs and wings just a little. Line your roasting pan with foil and add the goose. The goose will render a lot of fat during cooking. Therefore a deep lip around the pan is essential.
- Zest the oranges and combine the zest with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of five spice powder, 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine (or sherry), and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Remove from consideration.
- Sprinkle salt inside the geese, then rub the minced garlic all over the inside. Insert the ginger slices, scallions, and orange quarters into the cavity.
- Cover the geese in the orange zest and five-spice mixture and let it sit for 30 minutes. Prepare a 450°F oven during this time (230 degrees C).
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees °F and roast the goose for 10 minutes. If you’re cooking a goose that weighs 10 pounds, you should lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) and cook it for another 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, or 10 minutes per pound. Your cooking time will need to be adjusted based on the size of your goose. You can cook it till it’s done anyway you like, but be careful not to overcook it and make it dry! Thigh meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to 170°F.
- Be sure to baste the bird with the rendered fat every 30 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, loosely tent the breast with foil and remove 3 tablespoons of the goose fat.
- Put the lard, the potatoes, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like (thyme, rosemary, etc.) in a roasting pan and cook until the potatoes are tender. The last half hour of roasting the geese is perfect for tossing those vegetables.
- Take the roasted geese out of the oven and tent them with aluminum foil. Roast the potatoes to perfection by raising the temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and stirring them halfway through. While the potatoes are finishing up in the oven, the goose can have a 20-minute break.
- The roasted potatoes and goose should be served carved.