c o o k i n g a g o o s e

Cooking Goose on the Spanek Vertical Roaster™

Cooking a goose is a lot like cooking a turkey. Start by cutting off the bottom of the goose tail (about 4"-5"). (You won't eat the tail; it's all fat anyway.) Then fit the bird on the turkey roaster the same way as you would a turkey: Cut off the neck, so it sits nicely; force the legs forward, and push down on the bird. (Watch our mini-movie showing exactly how to do this.)

Make sure you have water in the bottom of your roasting pan. This is an important one, because the goose tends to be a fat bird, and as it cooks its fat will drip into the roasting pan. If there's no water in the pan, the fat will sizzle and spatter, making for a more difficult clean-up — so check on the water level in the pan and make sure it doesn't all evaporate. And use a high-rim pan.

Now, roast your goose at 400° F (200° C) for the first 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F (175° C) for 2 more hours. I sometimes de-grease the pan with water halfway through.

I demonstrated how to cook a goose this way each year on QVC Germany and I thought they were going to make me a national hero. It really comes out great.

Don't forget to save the goose fat. (If you don't have gravy strainer — get one. Get a big one.) There are a ton of recipes using goose fat — a delicacy in France — for example, to preserve truffles all year long. I buy Morel mushrooms and sauté them with Pinot Grigio, then heat goose fat in a pan so that it melts and mix the mushrooms with the goose fat. Refrigerate the mixture and the fat solidifies, preserving and flavoring the mushrooms. So every time I do veal dishes I use that to fry everything up. It stays in the refrigerator like a gel all year long. You can use a little bit at a time.

Enjoy!
Denis Spanek