Braised goose

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 goose, approx. 4kg
• 7 apples, tart, pitted and roughly diced
• 11 onions
• 1 liter chicken broth or veal stock
• mugwort
• Tomato paste
• oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

For better cooking, the goose is filled with an empty seltzer bottle

Wash the goose inside and out and dry thoroughly. Separate the neck and wings and set aside. For the stuffing, mix 3 apples and 3 onions with the mugwort, salt, and pepper. Stuff the goose with the stuffing and push the water bottle, neck forward, into the stuffing. (The trick is that the bottle heats up considerably during cooking, which means the legs cook faster and the breast side doesn’t dry out.) To braise, place the remaining apples and onions, along with the neck and wings, in a large roasting pan. Season the goose all over with mugwort, salt, and pepper and place it on its side (on one leg side) and pour in a little cold water. Place the roasting pan on the bottom rack of an oven preheated to 160°C (320°F) and cook the goose for 3-3.5 hours. Turn the leg over occasionally and baste with the braising liquid. Only lay the goose on its back at the end. When the goose is tender, place it on a cold rack and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then put it back in the oven with the rack and a baking tray underneath and set the top heat to 180 degrees so that the skin becomes crispy. Remove the onions and keep warm. While the goose is resting, carefully drain the fat from the roasting tin. Place the roasting tin on the stove and lightly brown the meat juices. Add the tomato paste and brown it lightly. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently over low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and mugwort. If the sauce is not thickened enough by the apples and onions, stir in a little more cornstarch mixed with cold water and bring everything to the boil briefly. Then strain through a sieve. Remove the hot bottle from the goose and serve with the appropriate side dishes.