Christmas Foods - Seasons Greetings!

• 1 10-lb. goose
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 recipe stuffing for Goose

Remove the fat from the Goose cavity and save for another use. Remove the neck and giblets and place in a small pot. Cut off the wing tips and add to the pot. Add enough cold water to cover, about 2½ cups. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, 1½ hours. Discard the wing tips and the neck. Remove the giblets and grind or chop fine. Reserve the giblets for the stuffing and save the stock for the gravy.

Rub the inside of the goose with salt, pepper, and the lemon juice. Pack the cavity of the goose with the stuffing. Don’t pack too tightly; any leftover stuffing can be baked separately. Close up the cavity, using poultry pins and string. Tie the legs together and tie the wings close to the body. Using a poultry pin, prick the skin of the goose all over. Place the goose, breast side down, on a rack inside a large roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the goose. Roast, uncovered, in a preheated 400ºF oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF. Remove the goose from the oven and discard the liquid in the bottom of the pan. Turn the goose over so that it is breast side up. Pour an additional 2 cups boiling water over the goose. Continue roasting the goose 1 hour longer at 350ºF. Remove the pan from the oven and pour off all the liquid again. Roast 1 hour longer or until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 to 20 minutes in a warm place before carving. Reserve the fat in the roasting pan to make gravy.
Stuffing for Goose

• 1½ lbs. white bread, cubed and dried overnight
• Reserved cooked and ground giblets from roast goose
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1½ tbsp. dried sage, whole
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, butter, garlic, onions, celery, and parsley. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. In a large bowl, combine the dried bread cubes, sautéed vegetables, and all remaining ingredients. Mix together until everything is evenly incorporated. Pack into the cavity of the goose.
Gravy for Goose

• 3 tbsp. reserved fat from Roast Goose
• 5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 4 cups reserved giblet stock plus enough chicken stock to make 4 cups stock total
• ¼ cup dry wine
• 1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
• 1 tbsp. Maggi Liquid Seasoning
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the reserved goose fat in a 2-quart saucepan and stir into the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes to form a roux. Do not burn. Heat the stock and use the wine in another saucepan and add to the roux. Use a wire whisk for this and whisk the whole time until a smooth sauce is achieved. Simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 3 cups. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer the gravy a few minutes more.