Roast Goose with Sherry Oranges

Ingredients:

• 1 goose, roughly 8 to 10 pounds
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 goose neck
• 3 shallots, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups dry sherry
• 4 oranges, quartered
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prep:

Using a metal skewer, prick the goose skin all over, but avoid piercing the meat. Submerge as much of the goose as possible in a large pot of boiling water. Hold it there for 1 minute. Remove the bird, return the water to a boil, then submerge the other part. Hold it for 1 minute longer. Drain the bird, and thoroughly dry it inside and out with paper towels. Lay it on a rack in a roasting pan, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Do not cover. The intent is to dry it out as much as possible.

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown the goose neck, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Add the sliced shallots, and saute' until translucent. Pour in 3/4 cup of the sherry, and add 1 of the quartered oranges. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by 1/4, scraping up any browned bits. Pour in the chicken broth and the orange juice, and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 2 cups. Strain out the shallots and orange quarters. Remove the neck, and when cool, pull off the meat, shred it, and return it to the sauce.

While the sauce is simmering, place the goose, breast side down, in an oven rack in a large roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour Remove the bird from the oven, and spoon off the fat from the bottom of the pan, being careful to leave behind any browned bits. Turn the bird over, breast side up, and roast for 1 hour longer, or until the skin is puffy and the meat inside the drumstick is fork-tender (the meat is adequately cooked when it reaches 170 F in the thigh, but for it to tender, it needs to cook longer). A slice at the base of the thigh should reveal no pink juices whatsoever.

Remove the goose to a large baking pan, increase oven temperature to 400 F, and continue roasting until the skin is deep brown and crisp, about 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile, add 1/2 cup of the sherry to the original roasting pan. Heat it on the stove top over low heat, scraping up any browned bits. Pour in the sauce made from chicken broth and orange juice. Simmer for 2 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup of sherry, stirring until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the sauce, and boil until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the goose from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes, uncovered, before serving. Carve the goose, garnish with remaining orange quarters, and pass the sauce separately.

Adapted from The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook