Roast Goose Recipe with Swede and Citrus

Pascal Aussignac serves up a stunning roast goose recipe, with a selection of bright, zesty 'friends' and a Swiss chard stuffing. This recipe is a must for those seeking something a little different to the traditional Christmas goose – mango, kumquats and pickled onion petals all add to the bright flavour of this dish. Do not fear, though. The Gascon chef still includes plenty of Southern French indulgence – the stuffing sneaks in plenty of Armagnac and Toulouse sausage meat for extra richness.

Roast goose

1 goose, weighing approx 5.5kg, plus its fat and neck
300g of vegetable stock
1 lemon grass stalk, optional
100g of butter
1 dash of Armagnac
salt

Stuffing

200g of shallots, finely diced
50g of breadcrumbs
200g of milk
100g of Swiss chard leaves, chopped (save the stalks for later)
200g of goose offal, diced, you can top up the quantity with chicken hearts and livers, if necessary
100g of Toulouse sausage meat, diced (optional)
50g of Paris mushrooms, diced
50g of cooked chestnuts, diced
50g of foie gras, diced (optional)
20g of parsley, chopped
10g of garlic, blended to a purée
50g of Armagnac
3 eggs
salt
black pepper
1 pinch of ground juniper berries

Poached kumquats

100g of kumquats
250g of sugar
250g of water

Citrus gastrique

caster sugar
20g of Grand Marnier
200g of orange juice
10g of sherry vinegar
1 orange, segmented
1 pink grapefruit, segmented
1 lemon, segmented

Pickled onions

1 white onion
40g of white balsamic vinegar
40g of white wine vinegar
60g of white wine
60g of water
40g of sugar
1 pinch of salt

Swede

3 swedes
200g of butter
2 oranges, juiced
1 pinch of sugar
1 pinch of salt
100g of water

To serve

1 mango, stoned and sliced lengthways

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Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2

To begin, remove any excess fat from the cavity of the goose and set aside – you will need the fat and the neck of the bird for the roasting tray later on

Prepare a large roasting tray fitted with a wire rack. Pour enough stock into the tray so that it is halfway between the base and the rack, and place the goose on the rack. This initial stage of cooking allows the goose to gently steam, keeping it nice and moist. You can add aromatics such as lemongrass stalks to the stock before cooking, for a slightly different flavour profile

300g of vegetable stock
1 lemon grass stalk, optional
1 goose, weighing approx 5.5kg, plus its fat and neck

Cover the tray with tin foil to create a tent and place in the oven to steam for 1 hour

To make the stuffing, add the shallots to a pan with a splash of water and a pinch of salt. Place a lid on the pan and cook until completely tender

200g of shallots, finely diced
salt

Add the breadcrumbs to a bowl and add the milk. Set aside to soak

200g of milk
50g of breadcrumbs

Add the diced and chopped stuffing ingredients to the breadcrumbs. Add the shallots, stir well, then mix in the egg, garlic purée and Armagnac. Season well, then mix and place the stuffing in the fridge

20g of parsley, chopped
100g of Swiss chard leaves, chopped (save the stalks for later)
200g of goose offal, diced, you can top up the quantity with chicken hearts and livers, if necessary
100g of Toulouse sausage meat, diced (optional)
50g of Paris mushrooms, diced
50g of cooked chestnuts, diced
50g of foie gras, diced (optional)
10g of garlic, blended to a purée
1 pinch of ground juniper berries
50g of Armagnac
3 eggs
black pepper

While the stuffing is chilling, prepare the kumquats. Add the sugar and water to a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Once the sugar has melted and the syrup is clear, add the kumquats and poach gently for approximately 45 minutes, until tender

250g of water
100g of kumquats
250g of sugar

Remove the goose from the oven and set aside. Increase the temperature of the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8

Stuff the cavity of the goose with the stuffing

Use a large needle and butcher’s string to sew up the cavity neatly

Drain the tray (retaining the stock), then add the reserved goose neck and some goose fat to the base of the tray. Place the goose on the trimmings, place half of the butter on top of the goose and the remaining half of butter in the base of the tray. Season with salt and place in the oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 180°C/gas mark 4. Cook for another hour – do not hesitate to open the oven regularly to baste the skin of the goose with the fat and pan juices

salt
100g of butter

While the goose is cooking, place the reserved stock in a pan and reduce until thickened. Set aside

To make the citrus gastrique, scatter a heavy-based pan with an even layer of sugar and cook until you have a pale caramel. Deglaze the pan with the Grand Marnier, orange juice and sherry vinegar. Add the citrus segments, cook out for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside

1 lemon, segmented
caster sugar
20g of Grand Marnier
200g of orange juice
10g of sherry vinegar
1 orange, segmented
1 pink grapefruit, segmented

Now prepare the garnishes for the goose. To make the pickled onions, peel the onion and cut into segments. Separate out into individual petals

1 white onion

Add the vinegars, wine, water, sugar and a pinch of salt to a pan and bring to the boil. Add the onion petals, cook for a few seconds, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Set aside in the fridge to pickle further

1 pinch of salt
40g of white balsamic vinegar
40g of white wine vinegar
60g of white wine
60g of water
40g of sugar

To prepare the swede discs, peel and cut the swedes into 5mm slices. Stamp out rounds of swede using a 4cm cutter

3 swedes

Add the butter, orange juice, sugar, salt and water to a pan and heat, whisking to emulsify the butter. Add the swede discs and cook gently until tender

100g of water
200g of butter
2 oranges, juiced
1 pinch of sugar
1 pinch of salt

To cook the Swiss chard stalks, gently heat them in a pan with a splash of the reserved stock until just tender. Drain and set aside

When the goose is ready, remove from the oven and allow to rest on a large board or platter while you finish the sauce

Remove the pieces of goose fat from the roasting tray and set aside – you can render these down further for other dishes. Place the roasting tray over a medium heat and deglaze with a good splash of Armagnac, scraping the bottom of the tray to incorporated any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom

1 dash of Armagnac

Add the reserved reduced stock, then adjust the flavour of the sauce with the citrus gastrique, a little of the poaching syrup from the kumquats, a pinch of crushed garlic and a little lemon juice, if needed. Continue to cook until you have a beautiful glossy sauce

When ready to serve, pass the sauce through a fine sieve onto the goose so it is nicely glazed

Quickly blowtorch the Swiss chard stalks and mango slices on a heatproof surface

1 mango, stoned and sliced lengthways

Arrange the swede discs, kumquats, Swiss chard stalks and mango slices on a serving platter. Place the goose on top, pour over the sauce from the tray, and top with a few more mango slices and pickled onion petals