Gefüllte Gans (Stuffed, roast goose)* with alternative stuffings
Ingredients:
1 goose
salt, pepper to taste
lemon juice
4 cups of water
1 table spoon of flour
Preparation:
Clean, wash and dry the goose and cut off its head and feet. Rub salt and pepper on the skin and inside the cavity; allow these to be absorbed. Stuff the goose according to taste, for example with one of the stuffings below. Stitch up and dress. Place in casserole, pour hot water over the goose, place lid on firmly and, over a low heat, allow it to steam gently until it is cooking in its own fat. Turn the bird over from time to time and with a fork pierce the skin under where the drumsticks and wings meet the body, so that the fat oozes out. Now, remove the lid and place the bird in the oven and roast until the skin is crispy, repeatedly pouring the fluid from the bottom of the casserole over the bird. A young goose takes about 1 hour, whereas older ones take 2-3 hours to be tender. Should the skin not be crispy enough, take the bird out of the oven, put butter on the skin and place it briefly under the grill. Having removed most of the fat, prepare a gravy from the meat juices, by adding flour and water and add salt to taste.
Serve with potato dumplings or boiled potatoes, Rotkohl and a sweet compote.
Stuffing 1: made with giblets, onions and parsley
Ingredients:
3 bread rolls
1 cup milk
heart and liver of the poultry to be stuffed
1 onion
some parsley
15 g butter
2 eggs
pepper and salt to taste
a pinch of nutmeg
Preparation:
Soak the bread rolls in the milk for a while. Then, press the fluid out and break the rolls apart. Gently soften the chopped onion and parsley in butter, and then briefly put the bread mixture into the pan. Take the pan off the stove and allow to cool a bit. Chop the heart and liver into very small pieces. Separate yolks and white of eggs. Add the yolks and the chopped heart and liver to the mixture in the pan. Finally add beaten white of egg. Season to taste. When mixed and cool, stuff into the goose.
Stuffing 2: made with giblets, potatoes, cream, onion and parsley
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon milk
1 onion
15 g butter
some parsley
heart and liver of the poultry to be stuffed
375 g cooked potato
1/2 cup cream
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of marjoram
Preparation:
Chop the onion and the parsley finely and fry very gently until soft in butter in a pan. Chop the heart and liver in small pieces and add to the pan for a short while. Add potatoes, cut into small cubes. When cool, mix in the cream and the beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper and add a pinch of marjoram to taste. Stuff into the goose.
Stuffing 3: made with sweet chestnuts
Ingredients:
750 g sweet chestnuts
15 g butter
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 l. meat stock
Preparation:
Cut chestnuts crosswise and put them in the oven to roast. Peel them. Then, heat the sugar gently in the butter until pale yellow. Add the cooked chestnuts and pour the stock over them. Season and steam until soft. Mix well and allow to cool before stuffing into the goose.
* (Recipe adjusted from Elizabeth Schuler "Mein Kochbuch. Dreizehnhundert Rezepte für die einfache und feine Küche. Kranken-, Roh- und vegetarische Kost. Rezepte für Backwaren und Torten, Cocktails und Bowlen. Der gedeckte Tisch. Tischsitten". Schuler Verlagsgesellschaft, München, 34th edition, undated. - As the subtitle indicates, this classic, found in many German households, attempts not only to teach good cooking but also how to behave appropriately at the table)
