Neutral Roast Goose

Goose is the perfect food for entertaining at Christmas. It is neutral and neither lung nor liver building. The small amount of cooling herbs in this recipe will not have a huge impact on lesser yin. Remember to get the goose at least 4 days before Christmas.

Serves 8-10
Cooking time varies but allow 5-6 hours

10-12 lb. goose
1 1/2 cups wild rice
1 pkg. dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs. poultry spice
1-2 tsp. salt

Thaw the goose so that it is completely thawed 48 hours before you roast it. This can take 2 days so give yourself plenty of time. Remove the neck and giblets, which you can cook with water and some more celery to make gravy or stock if you wish. Prick the skin of the bird well all over, especially on the breast and on the upper legs, pulling the skin away from the flesh and holding the skewer almost parallel with the goose so as to avoid piercing the flesh.

Fill a large pot 2/3 full of water (pot should be large enough to almost accommodate the bird) and bring to a boil. Using rubber gloves submerge bird, neck side down, for 1 minute until goose bumps arise, Repeat this process, this time with the tail side down. Drain the goose, breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan and set in the refrigerator, naked, to dry the skin for 24 to 48 hours.

The night before cook 1 1/2 cups wild rice in about 5 cups of water. Drain and chill overnight.

In the morning, remove the rice and goose from the refrigerator to let them warm to room temperature. Meanwhile, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for 20 minutes. Drain off the liquid and pass it through a coffee filter. Wash the mushrooms carefully to remove grit. Mix the beaten egg with the mushroom liquid. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the rice along with their soaking liquid. Add poultry spices and chopped celery. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F while you stuff and sew the goose. Salt the bird minimally inside and out. Then stuff and truss it. Place it in the oven in a roaster and on a rack on its breast.

Roast the goose undisturbed for 1 1/2 hours. After this time, take it out of the oven. Use a baster to draw out the fat that has accumulated in the bottom of the pan. (You can strain this fat, when it is hot, through a coffee filter, putting the fat in small containers. It will keep very well in the freezer for up to a year.)

Turn the bird over on its back before you put it back in the oven. Put it back in for another hour before you start checking for doneness.

Meanwhile pour about a cup of boiling water over the porcini mushrooms and let them soak for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms (which can be washed and saved for the giblet gravy if you wish) and filter the liquid through a coffee filter and set aside.

To check for doneness use a piece of terry cloth rag, squeeze the upper drumstick (not the thigh) lightly. If it feels kind of squishy, like roast beef, it’s done. Every goose is different so you must judge when it is done. If a lot of fat accumulates in the botoom of the pan, you should remove it with the baster as you did previously. When the meat is done (be patient, it may take a while, as much as 5 hours for a 12 lb. goose), raise the heat to 400 degrees F. Remove the roaster from the oven and transfer the bird, rack and all, to a jellyroll pan or another roaster.

Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F to further crisp and brown the skin. Then take it out and let it sit, uncovered for a half an hour.

Regarding the roaster, after you remove the bird to a jellyroll pan and put that in the oven, remove the fat from the roaster and put the roaster over 2 burners on the stove top. Add about 2/3 cup of the porcini liquid and deglase the pan with a wooden spoon. Combine these drippings with your giblet broth and the porcini mushrooms either to make a gravy or to use later to make goose carcass broth.