To prepare your goose, start by salting and peppering the inside and outside of the goose. Using a fork, prick its flesh in several places so that its fat can flow out during cooking. Then bake the goose at 200°C for 30 minutes then lower to 180°C and continue cooking at this temperature until the end. Count about 40 minutes of cooking time per kilo of meat. Be sure to baste the goose very regularly with the cooking juices so that it does not dry out and that the skin is golden brown and crispy. You can also turn the goose regularly during cooking so that it is homogeneous. Once cooked, remove the goose from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil.
For an easy or traditional holiday dish, you can also opt for stuffed goose. In this case, prepare a stuffing based on sausage meat, natural chestnut pieces, a few chopped shallots and bread crumbs previously soaked in milk. Stuff the goose and close it carefully with a string so that the stuffing does not escape. Cook the goose on a bed of small vegetables (onions, carrots, leeks, etc.), making sure to baste the poultry regularly with its juice. You can of course choose to stuff it with other fillings, for example raw ham and dried fruit for a very autumnal version, foie gras for a holiday recipe...
As for the turkey, it is possible to pre-cook the goose by poaching it for a few minutes in a broth then letting it rest overnight. After cooking, do not throw away the recovered fat:it is a fat that is not only delicious, but also very rich in good fatty acids. You can then reuse it in other recipes, especially for cooking potatoes!
