| 1 | whole goose, 8 to 10 pounds, thawed if frozen |
| 2 | cups water |
| 1 | small onion, sliced |
| 3/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 6 | cups soft bread crumbs (9 slices) |
| 1/4 | cup butter or margarine, melted |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves |
| 3/4 | teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/4 | teaspoon pepper |
| 3 | medium tart apples, chopped (3 cups) |
| 2 | medium celery stalks (with leaves), chopped (1 cup) |
| 1 | medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) |
| 1/4 | cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour |
| 1. | Remove excess fat from goose. |
| 2. | Heat giblets, water, sliced onion and 3/4 teaspoon salt to boiling in 1-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 hour or until giblets are tender. Strain broth; cover and refrigerate. Remove meat from neck and finely chop with giblets. Toss giblets and remaining ingredients except the flour in large bowl. |
| 3. | Heat oven to 350°F. Fill wishbone area of goose with stuffing first. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Fill body cavity lightly. (Do not pack--stuffing will expand while cooking.) Fasten opening with skewers, and lace with string. Pierce skin all over with fork. |
| 4. | Place goose, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone. |
| 5. | Roast uncovered 3 to 3 1/2 hours (if necessary, place tent of aluminum foil loosely over goose during last hour to prevent excessive browning), removing excess fat from pan occasionally, until thermometer reads 180°F and juice of goose is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. The center of the stuffing should be 165°F. Place goose on heated platter. Let stand 15 minutes for easier carving. |
| 6. | Pour drippings from pan into bowl; skim off fat. Return 1/4 cup drippings to pan (discard remaining drippings.) Stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. |
| 7. | Add enough water to reserved broth, if necessary, to measure 2 cups. Stir into flour mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve goose with apple stuffing and gravy. |
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| The rich flavor of goose is often balanced with tart fruit, such as the apples used in this recipe. |
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| Shave a little time off the preparation by omitting step 2 (do not cook giblets, and do not add to stuffing ingredients). And use 2 cups chicken broth in step 7. |
Nutrition Information:
845 ( 495 ); 55 g ( 16 g); 195 mg; 1000 mg; 27 g ( 3 g); 59 g 10 %; 4 %; 8 %; 42 % 1 ; 1 ; 8 ; 2