ROASTED WILD CHRISTMAS GOOSE WITH CRANBERRY, OYSTER, AND CHESTNUT STUFFING

THE INGREDIENTS

BRINE
  • 2 gallons water
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup black pepper
  • 1 cup brown sugar
GOOSE
  • 1 wild goose, 4 to 5 pounds dressed, well plucked and cleaned
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup bacon fat (or oil)
  • 2 to 4 cups chicken stock
STUFFING
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup diced yellow onions
  • 3/4 cup diced celery
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 dozen shucked oysters, drained and liquor reserved
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted chestnuts
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries, plumped in warm water
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 to 2 cups buttermilk
  • 4 cups stale crumbled cornbread

TO BRINE THE GOOSE
Mix the water, salt, pepper, and brown sugar together in a large pot. Place the goose in the brine mixture and refrigerate overnight.

TO MAKE THE STUFFING Heat the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onions and celery and cook for about 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Season with sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne, remove from heat, and set aside. When cool, fold in the oysters, chestnuts, and plumped cranberries. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oyster liquor, and a cup of buttermilk, and pour the mixture over the crumbled cornbread. (If using fresh cornbread, first crumble it onto a baking sheet and dry in a 200-degree oven for 1 hour or more, until very dry.) After the cornbread has absorbed the liquid, fold in the oyster mixture. Add more buttermilk if the stuffing seems perilously dry, but don't over moisten it.

TO ROAST THE GOOSE
[1] Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the goose from the brine, pat dry, and season all over with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, heat the bacon fat on high. Sear the goose on all sides, for about 2 to 3 minutes each, until the skin is seared and lightly golden. Reseason with salt and pepper, making sure to include the inside of the goose this time, and fill it with the stuffing. (If you have any left over, bake it in a greased pan or glass dish alongside the goose for 55 minutes.) Truss the goose's legs and place it breast side up in a roasting rack.

[2] Pour the chicken stock into a roasting pan until it comes 1)4 to 1/2 inch up the sides. Lower the rack into the pan and roast the goose for roughly 2 hours, until a thermometer placed in the thigh reaches 160?. Maintain the liquid level by adding more chicken stock, if necessary. (If the skin begins to get too brown, cover it loosely with a tent of aluminum foil.) Remove from the oven and let the goose sit, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes. The center of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees; if it's not cooked thoroughly, transfer it to a pan and place it back in the oven until done.


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