This is Gavin (told you we’d arrive at a name):
And yesterday we ate him.
The preparation of Gavin was insanely complicated, requiring us to stab him repeatedly with a skewer, pour boiling water over him, drain and leave him in front of a fan for hours (or overnight) to dry out.
In the morning Gavin smelled a good deal and not at all pleasantly. We (okay, mostly I) were a bit panicked that we would die from Stinky Goose, but the lovely flashman via twitter with internal temperature recommendations and Smila via Real Life (with a serendipitous phone call) who had cooked a goose before (and assured us that it should smell) both came to the rescue.
Nigella seals poultry with a toothpick and ordinarily I do too, but this time I decided to raid the sewing box. I’ve had this chunky needle for over 20 years and have never used it, but it seemed like it might be effective for the task. And wow(!) it is mucho superior to the toothpick (no ouchy fingers!). I’ll be busting this out for chickens and turkeys and other such animals in the future.
Cooked Gavin, pre-carving.
Minimalist table setting by Joan (because we are slackers, we did not raid the garage for Mom’s beautiful china and silver)
Dished up!
Verdict? While Gavin was quite tasty, am not entirely sure he was worth the $95 he cost, however the fat he contributed to the potatoes made for the best roast potatoes I have tasted in my life (canned oie fat is not nearly quite the same), and the mashed potato stuffing was utterly and completely magnificent.
The accompaniments were just brilliant and perfectly suited to the meal. I’ll eventually write the meal up (no! really!) on the eatin’ blog.
I would argue that it was the Best. Christmas. Meal. Ever.
So maybe Gavin was worth the dosh after all, but not for the meat. If I had a hunter in my life, I’d send him out to get me another just to obtain more goose fat.
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I'm not sure whether I'm disturbed or flattered that you put your lives in my hands…
Hello! I found you blog, while looking for a post from someone who had prepared Nigella’s Feast goose, and lived to tell the tale. I have myself a goose in the deep freeze, ready to fulfill its destiny. Did you write the meal up for the eatin’ blog? If so, could you link me to it? Looks like you learned a lot, and did a marvellous job. Thank you! Lindsay
Hi Lindsay!
It’s quite an undertaking and sadly I never did write this up for the now defunct eating blog. One thing I cannot recommend is doing the prep of leaving overnight in front of a fan in the midst of a very hot Australian summer! So Very Smelly!
But even almost 8 years later I still remember the marvellousness of the mashed potato stuffing and those roasted potatoes. So good!
Good luck with it – definitely worth doing once in your life. I’m very glad we did it, but honestly I’ll probably not go there again!
Thank you for the reply! I appreciate it! Eeeshh… I can imagine that smell. I bet it gets in the nooks and crannies of one’s brain. NOTED. If I do do it over night, I’ll be sure it’s during our Canada cold months, and in a cold part of the house. đŸ™‚
That’s my approach to cooking too. There’s things you just gotta experience completing, once in your life. This will be one of them!
A grocery store line in Canada started carrying goose fat. It’s a dangerous product to have on the shelves!
Thank you!
LP
It’s wonderful, magical stuff! The best roast potatoes and marvellous in a roux for gumbo!
I don’t think anything compares to what comes from a goose you’ve roasted yourself, but I’m prepared to accept the not-quite-there version if it means not having to source a goose!