roast goose

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 4 legs of goose (fresh or from Polish oat-fed goose
• 1 large goose breast, fresh or from a Polish oat-fed goose
• 4 apples (Boskop)
• 1 bunch mugwort, dried
• 1 pack of lard, plain
• 2 cup(s) water mixed with 1 tsp salt each
• salt and pepper
• rosemary

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

Goose legs and breast, same time and preparation also for a whole goose

You can use either the oven roasting pan or a suitably large casserole dish, but not one with a non-stick coating, as the fat will burn after such a long time. First, wash all of the goose parts, pat them dry, and season them. Add salt, a little pepper, and ridged rosemary, giving the meaty sides a little more seasoning than the skin sides. While the goose parts are seasoning, carefully melt the lard in a small saucepan on the stove with the first cup of salted water. When it is liquid, pour it into the roasting dish provided. Place the goose parts in the roasting dish (skin-side down first). Roughly pull apart the mugwort sprigs (with stems) with your fingers, break them up, and crumble them over the goose parts and into the lard stock. Halve the apples crosswise and arrange them over the goose parts. Then place the dish in a cold oven. Adjust the oven shelf so that the goose parts are roughly in the middle of the oven. Roast at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 1.5 hours, checking frequently how much fat is escaping and skimming it off if necessary to ensure nothing overflows. After 1.5 hours, turn the goose pieces over. First, remove the apple halves and set them aside. Now turn the goose pieces over, placing the apple pieces in the fat so that the goose pieces are now lying skin-side up on top of the apple pieces. Pour the second cup of stirred salted water over the pieces, again watching the escaping fat. The goose pieces will now brown and become wonderfully crispy. Check occasionally to see if the desired degree of browning is achieved. After the roasting time is over, remove the goose pieces and arrange them on a platter. Roughly remove the apples and the mugwort stalks, and transfer the goose jus to a gravy boat. This goes well with dumplings, red cabbage, or apple sauce. The goose pieces and dumplings are basted with goose jus on the plates. When prepared this way, the goose parts not only retain their natural flavor, but also become wonderfully tender and buttery soft. Mugwort helps improve digestion. If you choose a whole goose, the process remains the same, except for the apple pieces being pushed inside. Here, too, first place the goose breast-side down in the fat and turn it after 1.5 hours.