Advent, Advent! A Well Roasted Goose is a Gift From God!

Advent, Advent! Today, I am still tired after baking cookies for about six hours, so here is a recipe from Germany. It is from The Berlin Cookbook. Enjoy!

 

Eene jut jebratene Jans is ne jute Jabe Jottes” (A well roasted goose is a gift from God), is a favorite saying in Berlin. Especially on holidays, the “Christmas Bird” is a must. Kale or red cabbage and potato dumplings usually go along with it. In the early 19th century, there was a goose market on Dönhoffplatz (in the Mitte district) twice a week during Advent. Not only were there Sunday geese there, but goose down, too, for featherbeds. The market women were known to be clever and tough, as the following story shows, from a young man who wanted to haggle over the price of a goose

 

“Ma’m, Goosey-Loosey has such a sad look on his face, he must be mourning his bride!” “You little whippersnapper! What do you know of brides, you monkey hatchling?” “And what’s the goose cost, Ma’m?” “One dollar five,” “No, it’s much too skinny for that.” “Skinny? You think this swamp hog is thin? I’ll show you skinny, Sonny. Come here and I’ll grab you by the bones till I get calluses on my fingers, and you’ll squawk so loud they’ll hear you all the way over in Potsdam!”

 

[“Madamken, der Jänserich hat so n trübes Jesicht, der trauert wohl um seine Braut!” “Du Jrinschnabel, du! Wat weeßt du ausjebrütetes Affenküken von ne Braut!” “Und wat kost de Jans, Madamken?” “Enen Dahler, fünf Jute!” “Nee, davor is se zu mager!” “Wat, mager soll diese Oderbruchsche sein? Du bist mager, mein Söhneken, komm mal her, ick werde dir an deine Knochen fassen, det ick Schwielen an de Finger krieje, und du quietschst, det man s noch in Potsdam hören soll!”]

 

Makes 4 large servings or more!

1 prepared goose, approx. 8 pounds, traditionally from Poland.

Salt, black pepper

1 bunch mugwort

5 tart apples (e.g. Boskop, Braeburn, or Granny Smith)

2 onions

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

 

1 Rinse the goose under cold running water, washing thoroughly and removing fat from inside the abdominal cavity. Pat dry with paper towels; season inside and out with salt and pepper. 

 

2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the mugwort and shake dry. Wash, core, and cut apples into quarters; do not peel. 

 

3 Put apples and mugwort inside the abdominal cavity. Sew shut with cooking thread and bind the legs together.

 

4 Place goose in roasting pan, breast-side up; pour 1 cup water around side of pan. Place pan on lowest rack in preheated oven. Roast goose about 2 ½ hours. 

 

5 Midway through the roasting time, poke a needle into the goose, beneath the leg, to allow fat to run out. Peel and slice onions and spread them around the pan—they’ll taste good and soak up fat. Pour an additional 2 cups cold water around the side.

 

6 Increase oven temperature by 40 degrees, or turn to the “grill” setting, to brown the goose in about 20 minutes. Remove the goose from the roasting pan and place it back in the oven on aluminum foil, with the oven turned off. 

 

7 Place the roasting pan on the stove. Add 2 cups hot water and bring the pan drippings to a boil. Strain through a fine sieve and bring to a boil again. Mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water, until smooth, and add to the gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

8 Remove the thread and cut the goose in half. Arrange the apples on a preheated serving platter. Cut the legs and wings from the halves. Cut the halves into smaller portions and arrange on a large serving platter. Serve with the gravy.