Orange You Glad It’s Butter Goose
Tired of eating chicken or turkey every holiday season? This is your sign to try the chef’s choice of holiday main courses — Orange Butter Goose.
In Europe, a roasted goose on the holiday table has been a tradition since ancient times. And while turkey may be plumper, there’s nothing like the taste of goose! Master this recipe with the help of MEATER to ensure a crowd pleasing, drool-inducing main course! This recipe can serve up to eight people, so it is perfect for any gathering you may have coming up, or if you just want to make enough to have yummy leftovers for later!
Ingredients:
- Use a fresh Goose 5-5.5Kg, 11-12 lb (the ideal weight), ready cleaned and defrosted
- 3 White potatoes with skin on
- 2 Rainbow carrots
- 3 Oranges
- 1 White onion
- Fresh cranberries
- 2 Tbsp of Honey
- ⅔ cup of butter
- Fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp Dry herbs (pulverized)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Black pepper powder (to taste)
- Olive oil
Instructions:
Method: Oven
Doneness: Medium Well 165°F
*TIP* The younger the goose, the better it tastes so if you can, try and get a young one. It may be difficult to find at the grocery store, but you should be able to get one at a butcher shop.
- Now before you start your cook, let your goose get down to room temperature. Once it is at room temperature, pat the skin dry to ensure the skin comes out extra crispy. Then, rub a decent amount of salt and pepper all over to help soak up any extra moisture and add additional flavor. Next, take any dry herbs of your choice (we really like oregano and marjoram) and blend them until you have 1 tbsp of pulverized/grinded herbs and rub all over the goose. Following this, take 1 orange and squeeze as much juice as possible to coat the entire bird. Then, take another orange and grate the outer layer so that the entire goose is seasoned with orange peel grating. Place the orange you just peeled inside the cavity of the bird along with some fresh thyme.
- Prior to moving forward, make sure your goose fits on your baking plate/pan! The ideal bird is 11-12 lbs so you will need a pan that is at least 24 inches long. Once that is all settled, remove the bird from the pan so that you can now prepare a bed of your favorite fruits and vegetables to lay under and surround your goose. This bed will ensure a beautiful presentation and great, unique flavor. We used a combination of fresh cranberries, sliced potatoes with skin, rainbow carrots, and chopped onion. Next, take 1 unpeeled orange, and slice it so you can add this to the bed of fruits and veggies. Drizzle the fully prepped bed with some salt, pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. Take your goose, and place it on top of the fruits and veggies, and ensure it is centered! Now, spread the butter on the upper part of the breast and thighs for more flavor and a beautiful finishing skin color.
- Preheat your oven to 320°F. Insert your MEATER probe into the thickest part of the breast, making sure that the thermometer isn’t touching a bone and set up your MEATER in the app.
- We recommend setting your doneness to an internal temperature of 165°F. Once your oven reaches 320°F, place the bird in the oven till it reaches the target internal temperature. The app will alert you when to remove the goose from heat and begin resting. When you receive the alert, please remove the goose from the baking pan and allow it to rest on a wooden cutting board so that the internal temperature of the bird will not rise too much after it is removed from the oven.
- The sugars and fats from the fruits and butter give the goose delicious caramelization and a nice visual appearance. Your birds’ skin color should be browned and crispy, but not burnt. Thanks to the released fats, the vegetables and fruit from the bed will be soft on the inside, but have a good crunch on the outside. Also make sure to enjoy the aroma of orange essence combined with the scent released from the goose meat!
Plate, serve, and get ready to feast not only with your mouth, but with your eyes! Enjoy and Happy Holidays from the MEATER family to yours!
