Stuffed goose in a honey and bacon coating

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 goose, ready to cook
• 2 apples
• 3 tangerines
• 2 plums
• 1 bottle of red wine, dry, fruity, very rich
• 2 eggs
• 2 handfuls of chestnuts, cooked
• ½ bottle of orange juice
• 1 cube of chicken stock
• Water
• n. B. Speck
• e.g. dumpling bread (bread cubes)
• rosemary
• marjoram
• Paprika powder, sweet
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Honey
• n. B. Oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours 45 minutes; Total time approx. 5 hours 30 minutes

a fruity Christmas goose

Thaw the goose and remove the giblets, which can be used for other dishes. To degrease, pierce the goose and place it on the grill rack in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) – be sure to place a drip tray underneath! After 30-45 minutes, remove the goose and drip tray from the oven and let it cool. The collected fat will not be needed. For the stuffing, core the apples and plums and cut them into wedges. Peel and finely chop the mandarins. Chop the chestnuts, if desired. Combine the apples, plums, mandarins, chestnuts, and eggs and season with a dash of red wine, a little cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Top with breadcrumbs and mix until all the juices are gone. Rub the goose thoroughly inside and out with salt, pepper, and paprika. It’s best to mix the spices with a little oil to form a paste. Now stuff the stuffing into the goose and sew up the opening. Place the goose in a roasting pan and pour over the dissolved stock. Mix wine and orange juice into the stock to taste, and season with rosemary and marjoram. Place the goose in the oven and roast at 180°C for about 2 hours. Baste the goose frequently with red wine. After 2 hours, turn the goose over and continue roasting for another 2 hours. Gradually reduce the heat and continue basting with red wine. How much you reduce the heat depends on your goose and, above all, your oven. At home, I go down to almost 100°C, while a friend’s oven only goes down to 140°C. The important thing is that the goose is nicely browned and the skin is crispy. Brush occasionally with honey. Half an hour before the goose is ready, turn it over one last time, place the bacon over the goose, and glaze with honey. The goose is also wonderful to prepare the night before—simply leave it in the oven for an hour less and make up for that the next day, just before your guests arrive.