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Turkey is now the favored roast for holiday celebrations. However, please don't dismiss roasted goose for the holidays or days that aren't holidays! This showstopper is much easier to make than you might think!
Please read on to find out how to make an easy and delicious roasted goose, which will be an absolutely rewarding experience!
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Why Try Roasted Goose?
- The flavor is so rich! It has a stronger taste than chicken or turkey, kind of gamey and more like beef
- The skin will turn golden and crispy which is both beautiful and tasty!
- You will be rewarded with "liguid gold". The goose is a very fatty bird so you will get lots of goose fat which you can use to make the most AMAZING roast potatoes!
- The giblets can be used to make an INCREDIBLE giblet gravy!
- The carcass can be used to make a very delicious stock
Roasted Goose With Sage and Onion Stuffing is also one of the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die!
1,000 Foods To Eat Project
I am working my way through the foods that are listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. Roast Goose With Sage and Onion Stuffing is food #56 in my Project! Roasting goose and preparing it for my family for the first time has been a fantastic experience! It was the centerpiece of our recent Christmas dinner. We loved not only the taste of the roasted goose, but also using every part of the bird out of total respect for her.
In this book, the author Mimi Sheraton lists her choice for the 1,000 Foods of the World that you MUST try. So let's get ready to make a Roasted Goose! 😃
What Ingredients and Equipment Will I Need To Roast a Goose?
Here's what you will need to make a roasted goose:
- Oven for roasting
- Large roasting tray - the goose can be a rather large bird (mine was 10 pounds)
- Something to prick the skin of the goose with - I used the sharp end of my meat thermometer; you could also use a clean needle; the skin is pricked so that the fat can run through (you will get a LOT of goose fat!)
- Goose for roasting
- Baster - baste the goose every so often with the liquid gold (goose fat)
- Salt and pepper
- Ingredients to stuff the goose (optional) - I stuffed mine with a lemon, onion, garlic, sage, and thyme
The goose I used was from Whetstone Valley. Here are pictures of the front and back of the packaged goose, which was frozen when I bought it.
As you can see, it's a rather expensive bird! However, please be assured that you will get so much out of it!
Here's How To Make A Roasted Goose
I tweaked the directions on the back of the Whetstone Valley Goose package. If you follow these directions, you should get a roasted goose with a golden and crispy skin, with gloriously rich and tender meat.
- Thaw your goose if you buy it frozen. My 10 pound goose actually took over 2 days to thaw. Once thawed, remove the packaging. Remove the neck and giblets from inside the cavity, and also trim the excess fat from the neck and cavity. Set the neck and giblets aside for possible later use to make a divine gravy. Then rinse and dry the bird with paper towels. Now add a generous amount of salt to both the skin and inside the cavity. Allow the goose to sit uncovered in your fridge for at least 6 hrs or overnight.
2. Remove the goose from your fridge around 1 hr - 1.5 hrs prior to roasting to allow the goose to come to room temperature.
3. Prepare your stuffing (if using). I halved my lemon and onion.
4. Preheat your oven to 325F. When the goose is at room temperature, be sure to prick the skin all over with the sharp end of your meat thermometer, or you can use a clean needle. Try not to pierce the skin. Season it with salt and pepper.
5. Stuff the goose with your stuffing of choice.
6. Roast the goose (breast side up and set on a rack on a roasting tray) for approximately 2 hrs. During this time, baste it every 30 minutes or so. After the first 30-45 minutes I also turn it over and roast it underside up for around 30 minutes to get that side browned as well. I need to do this in my oven (it's older and quirky!) but if you are able to get the underside browned without turning over then all good! Please roast according to your oven's quirks (if any). 😊
Here you can see the skin getting nice and golden brown, and if you look underneath you can see pools of liquid gold (goose fat)! Be sure to save this goose fat for roasting potatoes and other vegetables!
7. Now turn the oven down to 275F and then continue roasting until a meat thermometer registers 165F in the center of the breast area. The time will vary according your oven but it should be around 20-30 minutes.
Allow the goose to cool for 15-20 minutes, and then carve and enjoy!
What To Serve With Roasted Goose
The absolute perfect accompaniment to Roasted Goose is a divine giblet gravy and Sage and Onion Stuffing.
This is a dish that is PERFECT for the holidays, or any day that you want to celebrate!
The Goose In Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol"
To conclude, I would like to share with you a scene from Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." It's such a delight to see the Cratchit family enjoying their goose for Christmas dinner. From "A Christmas Carol": "There never was such a goose...Its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness were the themes of universal admiration."
I hope that we may all enjoy a Roasted Goose dinner with such joy and gusto as the Cratchits. 😊
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Incredibly Delicious Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan
If you'd like to come along on this food journey with me, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 😊
Cheers!
Grace
Easy and Delicious Roasted Goose
Equipment
- 1 large roasting tray with rack
- 1 baster
Ingredients
- 1 10 lb goose
- salt
- pepper
- 1 each lemon for stuffing (halved)
- 1 each onion for stuffing (halved)
- 1 head garlic for stuffing
- small handfull sage leaves for stuffing
- few sprigs thyme for stuffing
Instructions
- Thaw your goose if you buy it frozen. My 10 pound goose actually took over 2 days to thaw. Once thawed, remove the packaging. Remove the neck and giblets from inside the cavity, and also trim the excess fat from the neck and cavity. Set the neck and giblets aside for possible later use to make a divine gravy.
- Then rinse and dry the bird with paper towels. Now add a generous amount of salt to both the skin and inside the cavity. Allow the goose to sit uncovered in your fridge for at least 6 hrs or overnight. Remove the goose from your fridge around 1 hr - 1.5 hrs prior to roasting to allow the goose to come to room temperature.
- Prepare your stuffing (if using). I halved my lemon and onion.
- Preheat your oven to 325F. When the goose is at room temperature, be sure to prick the skin all over with the sharp end of your meat thermometer, or you can use a clean needle. Try not to pierce the skin. Season it with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the goose with your stuffing of choice.
- Roast the goose (breast side up and set on a rack on a roasting tray) for approximately 2 hrs. During this time, baste it every 30 minutes or so. After the first 30-45 minutes I also turn it over and roast it underside up for around 30 minutes to get that side browned as well. I need to do this in my oven (it's older and quirky!) but if you are able to get the underside browned without turning over then all good! Please roast according to your oven's quirks (if any).
- Now turn the oven down to 275F and then continue roasting until a meat thermometer registers 165F in the center of the breast area. The time will vary according your oven but it should be around 20-30 minutes. Allow the goose to cool for 15-20 minutes, and then carve and enjoy!
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