Martinigansl (St. Martin's Day Roast Goose)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep roasting pan with a rack
• •Kitchen twine
• •Metal skewer or sharp paring knife (for pricking skin)
• •Bulb baster or ladle
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Heavy-bottomed pot with lid (for Rotkraut)
• •Heatproof jars for rendered fat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the goose

   Pull the goose from the fridge a full hour before you plan to cook. Cold meat in a hot oven is how you end up with overcooked breast and raw legs. Remove the giblets and set them aside for gravy. Trim any excess fat from the cavity opening and the neck area. Save every scrap of that fat in a jar. You'll render it later and thank yourself for weeks. Pat the entire bird dry with paper towels, inside and out. Dry skin is the single most important factor in getting that shattering, crackling finish.

2. 2

   Season the bird

   Mix the salt, pepper, marjoram, crushed caraway seeds, and minced garlic together into a rough paste. Rub this everywhere: inside the cavity, over the breast, into the leg joints, under the wings. Marjoram and caraway are the signature flavors of Austrian roast goose. Skip them and you've made a roast bird, but you haven't made Martinigansl. Now take a sharp skewer or the tip of a paring knife and prick the skin all over the breast and legs. You want dozens of tiny holes, not deep stabs. You're piercing only the skin and the fat layer beneath it, never the meat. These holes are escape routes for the fat during roasting. Without them, the fat stays trapped and the skin goes flabby.

   Gretel always said: 'Season a goose like you mean it. A timid hand with the salt is no good to anyone.' She was right. A big bird absorbs salt differently than a small one, and a 5 kg goose needs all two tablespoons.
3. 3

   Make the chestnut stuffing

   Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the diced onion until soft and translucent, about five minutes. Don't let it color. In a bowl, pour the warm milk over the cubed bread and let it soak for a few minutes until the bread softens but isn't drowning. Squeeze out any excess. Toss the soaked bread with the cooked onion, chopped chestnuts, parsley, beaten egg, nutmeg, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until it holds together loosely. You want it to be moist but not dense. The stuffing will absorb goose juices as it roasts, so it shouldn't start out wet.

4. 4

   Stuff and truss

   Spoon the chestnut stuffing loosely into the cavity. Don't pack it tight or it won't cook through. Tuck the quartered apples and onions in around the stuffing and push the mugwort or thyme sprigs in between. The apples aren't just flavoring: their acidity helps cut through the richness of the goose fat. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips underneath the bird. Place the goose breast-side up on a rack set inside a deep roasting pan. Pour the hot water into the bottom of the pan. The water creates moisture in the oven during the first stage of roasting and gives you a base for the pan juices.

5. 5

   Begin the slow roast

   Put the goose into a cold oven, then set the temperature to 160°C (320°F). Starting in a cold oven gives the fat time to begin rendering gradually before the heat gets aggressive. This is not conventional roasting wisdom, but it's how Austrian cooks have handled goose for generations, and it works. Roast for two hours at this temperature. After the first hour, open the oven and spoon off the accumulated fat from the pan with a ladle or bulb baster. You'll be amazed how much comes out. Spoon it into a heatproof jar. After the second hour, spoon off the fat again.

   Strained goose fat keeps in the fridge for months. Use it for roasting potatoes, frying eggs, or making the best Bratkartoffeln of your life. Austrian cooks consider this liquid gold and they're not exaggerating.
6. 6

   Raise the heat and crisp

   After two hours, increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F).This is where the skin transforms. Roast for another 60 to 90 minutes, basting the goose with its pan juices every twenty minutes. The skin will tighten, darken to a deep amber, and start to crackle audibly. You'll hear it in the oven. That's the sound of the remaining subcutaneous fat rendering out and the skin turning into something extraordinary. If any spots are browning too quickly, lay a small piece of foil over them. The goose is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 82°C (180°F) and the juices run clear, not pink.

   For the final fifteen minutes, you can brush the skin with a light coat of cold salted water. It sounds strange, but the evaporating water creates one last burst of crisping. I learned this at GAFA and it's never failed me.
7. 7

   Braise the red cabbage

   Start the Rotkraut about two hours before the goose is done. Melt the goose fat or butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the sliced onion until soft, then add the sugar and let it caramelize lightly for a minute. Add the shredded red cabbage and stir to coat it in the fat. Pour in the red wine vinegar and red wine. Add the cloves, bay leaf, grated apple, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir everything together, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Let it braise for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cabbage should cook down to something soft, sweet-sharp, and deeply purple. Stir in a spoonful of Ribiselmarmelade (redcurrant jelly) at the end. Taste and adjust the vinegar and sugar until the balance between sweet and sour feels right to you.

   Rotkraut improves with age. Make it a day ahead if you can. The flavors marry overnight and it reheats beautifully. Every Austrian grandmother knows this.
8. 8

   Rest the goose

   When the goose is done, transfer it to a cutting board and tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least twenty minutes. Resting isn't optional. The juices need to redistribute through the meat. If you carve immediately, all that liquid runs out onto the board instead of staying where it belongs. While the goose rests, pour the pan juices through a sieve into a small saucepan. Let the fat rise to the surface and skim it off. You should have a rich, dark jus underneath. Bring it to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. That's your gravy. It doesn't need flour. It doesn't need thickening. The goose did all the work.

9. 9

   Carve and serve

   Remove the twine. Scoop the stuffing out of the cavity into a warm bowl. Carve the goose at the table if you have the confidence, or in the kitchen if you prefer. Separate the legs first, then slice the breast meat against the grain. The skin should shatter under the knife. Arrange the carved goose on a warm platter with the chestnut stuffing alongside. Bring the Rotkraut in its pot and the jus in a warm jug. Let people serve themselves generously. Kartoffelknödel are the traditional accompaniment if you want to go the full distance, but good roast potatoes cooked in goose fat are just as welcome at the table. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Order your goose from the butcher at least a week ahead. A good free-range goose takes time to source, and the best ones sell out before November. Austrian cooks prefer a young goose, around six months old, which gives you tender meat and enough fat for proper rendering without the toughness of an older bird.
• •Don't skip the pricking. Every hole you put in that skin is a tiny chimney for fat to escape through. I use a clean metal skewer and work in rows across the breast and thighs. Fifty pricks is not too many. The deeper your holes go into the fat layer (without touching meat), the crispier your result.
• •Save every drop of rendered goose fat. Strain it through a fine sieve into clean glass jars while it's still warm. Refrigerated, it keeps for three months and frozen it lasts a year. Austrians use it the way the French use duck fat, and for good reason. Your roast potatoes will never be the same.
• •A 4-5 kg goose feeds six adults comfortably with generous portions. If you're feeding eight, add an extra side dish rather than trying to stretch the bird. A goose is not a turkey. It has a different bone-to-meat ratio and less breast than you'd expect.

Advance Preparation

• •The Rotkraut is better made a day ahead. Let it cool, refrigerate, and reheat gently before serving. The flavors deepen overnight.
• •The chestnut stuffing can be assembled (minus the egg) up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Add the egg and adjust moisture just before stuffing the bird.
• •The goose itself must be seasoned at least two hours before roasting, or ideally the night before. Salting overnight dries the skin and seasons the meat more deeply. Leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge.
• •If making Kartoffelknödel, the dough can be prepared the morning of and kept covered in the fridge. Form and cook them while the goose rests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 570g)