Saint Martin's Day, on 11th November, is associated with several old Czech proverbs. Besides the most famous one about Martin riding in on a white horse and bringing the first snow, they also include one warning piece of wisdom. It is said that anyone who doesn’t even have a taste of Martin's goose on this day will starve for the whole of the next year! You can't risk that! Leave nothing to chance and give our recipe for traditional roast goose with apples a try.
Method:
Wash the goose thoroughly inside and out, rub it with salt and cumin (including inside!) and let it rest in the fridge until the next day. About three hours before you plan to roast it, take it out and let it rest at room temperature.Preheat the oven to 130°C. Place the salted goose in a roasting pan, breast side down, and pour hot water into the dish (to about a quarter of the depth of the roasting pan). Put the lid on and place the pan in the oven to roast.
Roast for 3 hours, turning the goose over several times during this time to ensure it’s roasted on both sides - and put the lid back on again each time so that the meat doesn’t dry out. Also prick the skin from time to time so that the fat can flow out. Wait for it to brown, and you can then ladle it out or pour it over the goose again.
After 3 hours, cover the goose with apples, cut into pieces and with the cores removed, and rosemary and roast for another 40 minutes. Then, increase the temperature to 170°C for the last 20 minutes and take the lid off the pan to get a nice, crispy skin on your goose. Leave the tender goose to rest before serving. Slow roasting helps the meat not to dry out, keeping it beautifully juicy. If you have enough time, feel free to lower the temperature to 100°C and roast the bird for seven hours.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 240 minutes
Number of portions: 6
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized goose (around 4 kg)
3 apples and 1 pear or 4 apples
a few sprigs of rosemary
water for basting
cumin, salt