Roast goose with apples, onions and mugwort

Oven-roasted goose stuffed with apples, onions and mugwort, with a gravy made from the roasting juices and no flour. A paleo dinner for Christmas and St Martin's Day, serves 6.

At a glance

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 225 min
• Total time: 255 min
• Calories: 647 kcal per serving
• Protein: 49 g
• Fat: 41 g
• Carbs: 19 g

Ingredients

• 4.5kg goose
• 4 apples
• 3 onions
• 2 carrots
• 150g celeriac
• 500ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp mugwort
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Method

You’ll need: oven · casserole dish · stick blender · chopping board · knife · sieve

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C (140 °C fan). Pat the goose dry inside and out with kitchen paper and pull off the loose fat at the opening.
2. Rub the goose inside and out with salt, pepper and marjoram. Cut the apples and one onion into wedges, mix them with the mugwort and stuff the goose with them.
3. Place the goose breast-side down in a roasting tin, pour in half the stock and roast for 90 min at 160 °C.
4. Dice the carrots, celeriac and remaining onions. Turn the goose over, add the veg to the tin and roast for another 2 hours at 160 °C; baste with the roasting juices every 30 min.
5. Turn the oven up to 220 °C and roast the goose for another 15 min, until the skin is crisp. It is done when the leg reaches 85 °C.
6. Pour the roasting juices through a sieve, skim off the fat and boil the juices with the veg and the rest of the stock for 5 min. Blend the gravy, carve the goose and serve them together.

Good to know

A roast goose mainly needs time, not much work. Apples and mugwort in the stuffing add flavour, and slow roasting at 160 °C keeps the meat juicy. At the end, a blast of high heat makes the skin crisp.

Swaps

Goose → 2 ducks (roasting time about 2 hours). Mugwort → thyme and rosemary. Apples → half cooked chestnuts. Chicken stock → vegetable stock.

Cooking tips

A meat thermometer in the thickest part of the leg takes out the guesswork. Prick the skin under the legs now and then so more fat runs out. The goose fat you collect is good for fried potatoes.

Storage

Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge; meat off the bone keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Allergens

No gluten, milk, egg or nuts; the gravy contains celery. Suitable for children and in pregnancy, as long as the leg is cooked through to 85 °C.

Dairy-free recipes