Oison à l’Anglaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sturdy roasting pan with a V-rack
• •Fine metal skewer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine or poultry pins
• •Heatproof bowl for rendered fat
• •Small sauceboat for the stewed apples

Instructions

1. 1

   Bake the onions

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Set the unpeeled onions on a dry sheet pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, turning once, until a skewer passes through without resistance and the skins are papery and browned. Use no oil and no water. Let them cool completely, then peel and chop them finely without working them into a purée.

   Baking concentrates the onion while its skin holds in enough moisture to soften it. Boiling fills the onion with water, and that water is what turns the stuffing to paste.
2. 2

   Build the stuffing

   While the onions cool, soak enough day-old bread in the cold water for 5 minutes. Gather it in a clean kitchen towel and twist very firmly until no more water runs out, then weigh or pack out 1 cup (225 g). Combine it with the chopped onions, sage, 1 teaspoon of the salt, ½ teaspoon of the pepper, and the nutmeg. Mix with a fork just until evenly distributed. If it smears like porridge, don’t put it into the bird. Ça se rattrape: spread it on the sheet pan, dry it for 10 to 15 minutes in a 325°F (165°C) oven, stirring once, then cool it completely.

   The quantity of sage is bold by design. This is the book’s proportion scaled down with the onion and bread, not a timid scattering of leaves.
3. 3

   Stuff and truss

   Raise the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the goose dry inside and out. With a fine metal skewer, prick the skin over the legs, flanks, and lower breast at close intervals, entering only the fatty layer and never the flesh. Season the cavity and exterior with the remaining salt and pepper. Spoon in the cooled stuffing loosely, leaving it room to expand, then close the cavity with skewers or kitchen twine and tie the legs together. If the cavity won’t hold everything without packing, put the surplus in a small baking dish and cook it beside the goose during the final 35 minutes.

4. 4

   Roast the gosling

   Set the goose breast-side up on a V-rack in a sturdy roasting pan. Roast for 25 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven to 350°F (180°C) and continue for 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours, rotating the pan halfway through. Carefully pour the rendered fat into a heatproof bowl every 35 to 40 minutes so it cannot scorch, but leave the dark juices and fond in the pan. If the skin becomes deeply brown before the bird is ready, cover only that area loosely with foil; if it remains pale near the end, raise the heat to 400°F (200°C) for the final 10 to 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Test and rest

   Insert an instant-read thermometer into the centre of the stuffing and then the deepest part of the thigh without touching bone. Both must reach at least 165°F (74°C), and the leg should move freely at its joint. If the goose is ready but the stuffing is still below temperature, don’t sacrifice the bird to another half-hour of heat. Ça se rattrape: spoon the stuffing into a shallow baking dish and return it to the oven until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Transfer the goose to a warm platter and rest it for 25 minutes.

6. 6

   Stew the apples

   Put the sliced apples, sugar, and ¼ cup water in a covered saucepan. Cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit collapses under the spoon. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes if the apples look watery, then crush them into a coarse sauce rather than a perfectly smooth purée. Taste before adding any more sugar; the sauce should soften the richness of the goose, not taste like pudding. Keep it warm for the separate sauceboat.

7. 7

   Reduce the gravy

   Set the roasting pan over medium heat. Spoon off most of the clear fat, reserving it for another use, but deliberately leave about 2 tablespoons with the browned juices. Add the hot water and scrape up the mahogany fond, then simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the gravy tastes concentrated and lightly coats a spoon. It should remain somewhat fat, with a rich sheen rather than a greasy slick. If the fond has burned black, don’t scrape it in. Ça se rattrape: decant the clear roasting juices into a clean saucepan, leave the scorched sediment behind, add the hot water, and reduce there.

8. 8

   Dish and serve

   Remove the trussing string and place the whole goose on its warm platter. Spoon the gravy around the bird rather than over its crisp skin, passing any remainder separately. Bring the lightly sugared stewed apples in their own sauceboat, exactly as the dish requires. Carve the breast in long slices, separate the legs at their joints, and give each plate stuffing, goose, gravy, and a spoonful of apple. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask a good butcher or poultry supplier specifically for a young goose weighing 6 to 7 pounds. Oison means gosling, and a large mature roasting goose will require more time and feed more than four.
• •The stuffing ratio is the dish: equal weights of baked onion and soaked, firmly pressed bread, with 14 g of fresh sage at this scale. Reduce the sage and the character changes; leave the bread wet and the texture fails.
• •Save the rendered goose fat. Strain it while warm, chill it in a covered jar, and use it for roast potatoes or cabbage. The gravy needs only a little of it, but that little must remain.
• •A supple red Burgundy has enough freshness for the goose and apples without fighting the sage. A dry Loire Chenin Blanc is equally good if the table prefers white.

Advance Preparation

• •The onions may be baked, cooled, peeled, and chopped one day ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, but let them lose their chill before mixing the stuffing.
• •The stewed apples may be prepared one day ahead and reheated gently with a spoonful of water. Their flavour settles nicely without becoming sweeter.
• •For crisper skin, salt the goose and leave it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator overnight. Do not put stuffing into a raw bird ahead of time; mix, fill, and roast it in one continuous sequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 590g)