Goose with Roasted Prunes and Apples

Ingredients

• 4 kg goose (1 whole goose)
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp dried savory
• 4 medium apples
• 200 g dried prunes
• 4 white onions
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• fresh herbs (for garnish)
• 4 smaller boiling apples
• sugar
• lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• white wine
• currant jam (or lingonberries)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 210 °C. Wash and pat dry the goose, then season inside and out with salt, pepper and half of the savory. Peel the apples, quarter them, remove the core and cut into wedges. Peel the onions and cut into wedges as well. Mix the apples, onions, prunes and remaining savory, fill the goose, tie it up and dress it.

2. 2.

   Place the goose breast‑side down in a roasting pan (or Dutch oven), pour 325 ml boiling water over it, cover with a lid or foil and steam for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Then lift the goose onto the rack of the pan and roast uncovered for another ~2 hours, basting occasionally with the drippings. To ease fat release, lightly pierce the skin on the sides under the wings and below the legs. If the back turns brown, flip the goose breast‑side up and continue roasting until nicely browned. For an extra crisp crust, brush the meat with saltwater at the end and finish under high heat (230 °C) for a short time.

3. 3.

   Remove the finished goose, pour the sauce into a pot, drain excess fat, bring to a boil, season and thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water. For serving, wrap the leg ends in foil, slice the breast diagonally and sprinkle fresh herbs over the goose.

4. 4.

   For the sauce mix sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and white wine with ½ l water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile peel the apples and remove their cores. Add the fruit to the boiling liquid and top up with hot water until the apples are just covered. Cook the apples gently until bite‑firm; they should not become too soft. Then scoop them out with a slotted spoon, arrange on a preheated plate and fill with currant jam.

5. 5.

   Alternatively, bake the apples in the oven: place washed, cored fruit on a rack at 200 °C for about 25 minutes, basting occasionally with butter. Serve the goose with roasted prunes and apples.