Roast Goose with Wild Rice Stuffing

A roast goose is the centerpiece of an old-fashioned Christmas, and it’s a different bird entirely from turkey: richer, darker, and laced with fat that crisps the skin to a deep mahogany. The key technique is pricking the skin all over before roasting, which lets that abundant fat render out as it cooks, basting the bird and leaving the skin shatteringly crisp instead of flabby.

Tenting with foil for most of the roast keeps the breast from drying while the fat renders, then you uncover it at the end to crisp and brown the skin.

The stuffing is what makes this version special. A mix of wild rice and white rice gets folded with celery and onion softened in butter, then studded with sweet mandarin oranges, buttery pine nuts, and tender chestnuts. It’s a festive fruit-and-nut stuffing that stands up to the richness of the goose, the oranges cutting through the fat while the nuts add texture. Save the rendered goose fat that collects in the pan; it’s liquid gold for roasting the crispiest potatoes you’ll ever eat.

Pro Tips

• Prick the skin all over (not into the meat) before roasting. This renders the heavy goose fat and crisps the skin.
• Tent with foil for most of the roast, then uncover at the end to brown and crisp the skin.
• Save every bit of rendered goose fat. It’s prized for roasting potatoes to golden perfection.
• Let the goose rest before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.

Variations

• Swap mandarin oranges for dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
• Use walnuts or pecans in place of pine nuts.
• Add fresh herbs like sage or thyme to the rice stuffing.