Alan Jones, head chef at the Almeida, shares his recipe for the perfect goose, along with a handy guide on roasting times and carving. You can forget plain boiled sprouts and boring vegetables – here Alan also gives three delicious recipes for calvados-glazed apples, brussels sprouts with smoked bacon, and date & red wine sauce.

Enjoy a very Merry Christmas.

Roast goose

Ingredients:

• 4-5.5kg fresh goose
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• small handful each of parsley, sprigs thyme and sage, plus extra for garnishing
• two tbsp olive oil for browning (optional)
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

Method:

Calculate the cooking time, depending on whether you want the meat cooked medium rare to well done (see tips, below). If the goose is ready-trussed, then loosen the string and pull out the legs and wings a little – this aids cooking. Check the inside of the bird and remove any giblets or pads of fat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score the breast and leg skin in a criss-cross pattern. This helps the fat to render down more quickly during roasting.

Heat your oven to 240ºC/fan 220ºC/gas 9. If you want to give the bird a nice golden skin, first brown it in a large frying pan (or heavy-based roasting tin), using a couple of tablespoons of oil. Holding the bird by the legs (you may like to use an oven glove) press it down on the breasts to brown.

Once browned, place the bird in the roasting tin. Drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Place sage and parsley in the cavity. Roast for the calculated time, turning the heat down after 10 mins to 190ºC/fan 170ºC/gas 5. Cover the goose with foil if it starts to brown too much.

Every 30 minutes or so, baste the bird with the pan juices and skim off and reserve the fat. This can be passed through a sieve into a large heatproof bowl. You will end up with at least a litre of luscious fat, which you can save for the potatoes and other vegetables. At the end of the cooking time, leave the goose to rest for at least 30 minutes, covered loosely with foil. Don’t worry, it won’t go cold. It will be moist and much easier to carve.

A note on roasting times:

For medium rare, cook the goose for 10 minutes at 240ºC/fan 220ºC/gas 9, then reduce the heat to 190ºC/fan 170ºC/gas 5 and cook for 20 minutes per kg. For well-done give 32 minutes per kg. After cooking, the goose will require 30 minutes’ resting time.

How to carve:

Goose breast is shallow, so take a sharp, long, thin-bladed knife and angle it at about 90 degrees to the breastbone. Carve from the neck end. Detach the legs, then slice off the thigh meat.

Calvados-glazed apples:

Ingredients:

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 50g butter
• sprig of sage
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Calvados

Method:

Quarter the apples, cut out the cores and trim the ends. Heat the butter in a frying pan and toss with the apple wedges and sage. Cook for 2 minutes, then sprinkle in the golden caster sugar and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring gently until the apple is golden and softened. Pour in the Calvados and flambé cautiously. Season lightly and keep warm until ready to serve.

Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon

Ingredients:

• 1kg brussels sprouts
• 100g thinly sliced smoked bacon, cut into 2cm strips
• about 4 tbsp hot goose fat
• a handful of shredded sage

Method:

Blanch the brussels sprouts in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and tip into a bowl of iced water to cool quickly. Drain well again and set aside until you’re nearly ready to serve. Then, sauté the smoked bacon in the hot goose fat until crisp. Toss in the sprouts and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, adding the sage to serve.

Date and red wine sauce

Ingredients:

• 600ml chicken stock
• 250ml red wine
• 3 tbsp port
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 200g halved, stoned dates

Method:

Boil the chicken stock, red wine, port and balsamic vinegar until reduced by two-thirds. Meanwhile, cover the dates with boiling water, leave for 5 minutes and then drain. Strain the reduced liquor and return to the pan with the soaked dates. Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes, then check the seasoning and keep warm before serving.