Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, celery and coriander
and fry gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until softened but not browned.
Transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool.
Add the remaining ingredients, plus one teaspoon of salt and plenty
of pepper.
Use your hands to mix well, squeezing the mixture so that the
ingredients bind together evenly.
Ingredients
For the goose:
4.5kg/10lb trussed and oven-ready fresh goose
Sea or rock salt
Fresh mint, parsley and bay leaves to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C. Remove the giblets and
wipe inside the body cavity with kitchen paper and spoon the stuffing
mixture inside. Put the goose in a large roasting tin and prick the
breast gently with a fork all over and sprinkle with sea or rock salt.
Cut two sheets of heavy-duty foil, about 100x50cm/40x20in each. Put
lengthways and overlapping by an inch or so on a work surface. Put the
tin in the centre; bring the foil up and around the tin and goose to
enclose them. Scrunch the edges of the foil to make a loose tent over
the goose.
Roast on the second shelf from the bottom of the oven for 1 1/2
hours.
Remove the goose from the oven and open the foil. Baste the goose
and remove as much fat as possible from the tin. Cover the goose again
and roast for one hour. Remove from the oven and open up the foil to
expose the breast (keep the foil on the legs as they need extra
protection). Baste and remove the fat as before. Return to the oven with
the breast exposed; roast for 30 minutes to brown the skin.
To test if the goose is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the
thigh with a skewer - the juices should run clear. Carefully lift the
goose out of the foil and hold it with the legs facing downwards to
drain off as much excess fat as possible. Put the goose on a large
warmed platter. Cover it loosely with fresh foil and leave to rest in a
warm place for 30 minutes - this is important as during this time the
meat fibres relax and the juices settle, making carving easier.
Garnish the goose with herbs before transferring to a carving board.
Cut the breasts away from the rib cage (this is easier if you remove the
wishbone) and carve them diagonally into slices. Cut off the legs, then
shave off the meat by holding each leg by the knuckle and slicing down
towards the board. Cut off the wings and fillets (the oyster meat where
the legs meet the body on the underside). Use a long-handled spoon to
remove the stuffing.
Food & Drink 
