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Roast goose with chestnut stuffing, potato gratin and braised red cabbage

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Goose is a great alternative to turkey at Christmas and eaten with this red cabbage it gives a wonderful festive taste. The cabbage is best made a week in advance as this allows the pickling liquid to develop a fuller rounder flavour. The cabbage will keep for a month in the fridge and is great with cold meats or turkey sandwiches for the Boxing Day lunch. Cooked and prepared chestnuts are available from most supermarkets at this time of year and make a very interesting, festive stuffing.

SERVES 4

1 Goose kg in weight

For the stuffing;

1 onion, finely diced
100g butter
2tblsp sage, chopped
1 chicken stock cube
150g breadcrumbs
100g chestnuts, chopped
175g good quality sausage meat
Seasoning

For the braised red cabbage;

1 large red cabbage, shredded
1tblsp sea salt
1bottle of red wine
250ml red wine vinegar
50g brown sugar
50g red currant jelly
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 juniper berries
2 sprigs of thyme, chopped
Seasoning

For the potato gratin;

2kg of potatoes, peeled
2ltrs milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
600ml double cream
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
200g butter, cut into small pieces


Method;

For the potatoes;

Slice the potatoes thinly, place in a saucepan, and pour over the milk and season with the salt and pepper and half of the crushed garlic. Cook over a low heat until the milk is almost absorbed.
Rub a large tray with the remainder of the garlic and arrange the potatoes in the tray cover the potatoes with the cream, sprinkle with nutmeg and dot the surface with the butter.
Cook in the oven at 170c for 1⅓ hours, increasing the heat a little towards the end of cooking time to brown the top.

For the stuffing;

Place a pan over medium heat and add the onion and the butter cook until the onion is soft, add the sage and chicken stock cube and cook for a further 3mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, add the chestnuts and sausage meat and season to taste. Leave to cool while you prepare the goose.

For the cabbage;

Toss the cabbage in the sea salt, cover with cling film and leave to go limp in the fridge over night. Rinse well and drain.
Place the remaining ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil, add the cabbage and turn down the heat to a simmer, leave to simmer for 1 hour, stirring all the time, remove from the heat and strain of any excess liquid. Place the cabbage into a container and pour over a little of the liquid, cool and store in the fridge for a couple of days to allow the flavours to develop.

For the goose;

Pre heat the oven 200c.
lift the  skin at the neck end of the bird and remove the wish bone, this will create more room for the stuffing and make it easier to carve. Turn the bird over onto the breast and loosen the skin, fill the cavity of the bird very generously with the stuffing. Pull the skin back over the stuffing and secure with a cocktail stick. Any left over stuffing can be rolled in buttered tin foil in the shape of a large sausage.
Season the goose all over with salt and pepper and place on a wire rack set over a baking tin. Place in the pre heated oven for 30mins. After 30mins remove all of the fat that has collected in the base of the tray under the goose. (Keep this fat for roasting potatoes to serve with the goose.). Return the goose to the oven and reduce the heat to 160c and roast for a further 1½ hours, basting every 20mins. Place the extra stuffing in with the goose after 45mins and cook for the remaining 45mins.
Once cooked  remove the bird and the stuffing from the oven and keep in a warm place covered with tin foil for 15-20mins.

To serve;

Remove the cocktail sticks from the goose and remove the legs. Cut each leg into drumsticks and thighs. Carve the breast meat and divide between 4 plates, with a piece of drumstick or thigh, scoop out the stuffing and place some on each plate along with a slice of the extra stuffing, offer the cabbage, potato gratin and some gravy separately.

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