Festive roast goose with panettone stuffing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Remove the clumps of excess fat, and the neck and giblets from the cavity of the goose. Put the fat in a small pan with the sunflower oil and melt over a gentle heat, then strain through a fine sieve into a medium-size bowl and set aside. Set the neck and giblets aside for the gravy.
2. For the stuffing, toss the panettone with 50g of the butter, spread on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes until crisp and lightly golden. Remove and leave to cool. Turn up the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7.
3. For the gravy stock, cut the goose neck into 6 pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of the melted goose fat in a pan, add the neck and the giblets, then fry until browned. Add the bacon, fry until golden brown, then add the onion, carrot and leek trimmings and fry until they have taken on a good colour. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and 1.2 litres water and simmer for 1 hour. Strain, then taste. If it’s watery, return to the heat and simmer vigorously until well flavoured, then set aside. You can do this in advance.
4. Weigh the goose and calculate the cooking time, allowing 12 minutes per 500g (1 hour 45-50 minutes for a 4.5kg goose). Season the cavity and push in the herbs. Tie the bird into a neat shape. Sprinkle the outside with salt. Put on a large wire rack in a large roasting tin. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn down the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Remove the goose from the oven and pour away the fat from the tin into a bowl. (See how to do this in our video below) Return the goose to the oven and roast for the rest of the cooking time, pouring away the excess fat every 20-30 minutes. The goose is done when the juices run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced with a skewer.
5. Meanwhile, for the panettone stuffing, heat the sunflower oil in a medium pan. Add the bacon and fry until lightly golden. Add the remaining 25g butter, onion, celery and leek. Cover and cook gently for 15-20 minutes until soft. Uncover, add the sausagemeat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it has lost all its pinkness. Tip into a mixing bowl and cool. You can do this in advance.
6. When the goose has 25 minutes of cooking time left, add the toasted panettone to the sausage and onion mix in the bowl with the chopped herbs and some seasoning, then toss well. Mix the beaten eggs with the stock and stir in. Set aside for 5 minutes, then spoon into a buttered 2 litre shallow baking dish. Bake on the top shelf of the oven with the goose for 20 minutes.
7. When the goose is cooked, remove it from the oven and pour any juices from the cavity into a jug. Put on a carving board, cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes. Turn up the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Continue to cook the stuffing for another 25-30 minutes until crisp and nicely golden on top.
8. To make the gravy, skim the fat from the top of the reserved cooking juices and gravy stock. Melt the 25g butter in a small pan, stir in the flour, then gradually add the cooking juices, the red wine and enough of the stock to give you a gravy-like consistency. Simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and well-flavoured. Taste and season, then keep hot.
9. To carve the goose, slice off the legs, cut them in half at the joint, then slice the meat away from the bones. Slice the breast meat away from the carcass in two whole pieces, then carve each one lengthways into long, thin slices. Arrange the meat on a large, warmed platter and serve with the panettone stuffing and gravy.