Easter dinner!

I promised you Easter dinner and so I am delivering but be forewarned:
This goose stunk. 
I'm quite positive that it's a fine recipe (as I've used it before for chicken and duck) but I'm equally positive that it was the poor goose itself that was so terrible.
Okay, okay.  Not terrible.  Definitely edible and Dad liked it!  But a wild goose that your father shot out of the sky is a bit different from one that you could buy at a market.  And I'm sure that if you used a nice, fat, fresh duck instead of a winter-worn scrawny one, this dish would be a success. 
But, the point of a blog (a cooking one) is to show you successes and failures. So, here we are. 
Hope everyone had a happy Easter and good lucking cooking next year!

Roasted Goose with Orange Mustard Glaze

Serves 4-8.  (...depending upon whether one of your guests (or yourself, in my case) is pregnant and can't stand the thought of eating much meat, especially not wild goose.)

1 10-12 pound goose or 2 4-5 pound geese, skin on
Salt and pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, whole
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and dry your goose.  Trim any excess fat and skin and discard.  Prick skin with a fork.
Place into large roasting pan and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne on both sides.
Combine bell pepper, onion and garlic and season with about a teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper.
Stuff your goose with vegetable mixture.
Roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes for the large goose, or 1 hour for two small geese.

Meanwhile, combine orange juice concentrate, mustard and honey in a small saucepan and heat on low until combined.
Remove the goose and brush on the glaze.  Return to oven and roast for another 10 minutes, until the thigh registers 165 degrees.  

Remove from oven and let rest for about 30 minutes, tented, until ready to serve.  Carve and enjoy!


Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes

Serves 4-8.

1 head garlic
3-4 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or halved if large
Salt
1 stick butter
Dash of cream

Start by halving your head of garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap in foil and roast on 400 degrees for about an hour.  Remove to cool.

Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to hot pot.  Add butter, salt and pepper to taste and cream. 

Add cloves (squeeze from the head once cool) and mash until creamy.  Serve!

Glazed Carrots

Serves 4.

4-6 large carrots, peeled and cut on a bias into large chunks
3 Tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock

Melt butter in a large skillet and add carrots.  Season with salt, pepper and sugar and saute for a few minutes. 

 

Add stock and cover to steam over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove lid and saute in remaining butter until caramelized, about 3 more minutes.  Test to make sure they are almost tender and enjoy!