Roast Gosling stuffed with Apple, Sage & Onion

Serves 6

Stuffing Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
80gm butter
250 gm minced dried apples
30 sage leave
60ml verjuice
1 cup of pale green celery leaves
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
4 small onions, finely chopped
2 cups stale breadcrumbs
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Gosling
3.5 - 4kg goose
extra virgin olive oil
verjuice or lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 200C

Stuffing
Roast walnuts on an oven tray until lightly browned. Rub away the skins using a tea towell, then leave to cool. Chop finely and set aside.
Heat butter in a frying pan, then saute the apples and sage. When almost cooked, deglaze the pan with verjuice, add celery leaves and transfer to a bowl.
Heat the olive oil in the frying pan and saute the onions until cooked. Add nutmeg to taste. Add the breadcrumbs, walnuts, apples and sage and moisten with a with extra verjuice if necessary.
Stuff the gosling with this mixture and close the cavity by either sewing or using a whole apple.
The Gosling
Reduce oven temperature to 160C
Coat with extra virgin olive oil, verjuice or lemon juice to caramelise the skin. Season well with salt and pepper and place bird in an oven bag. Place in large roasting dish.
Cook for 45 minutes, then turn the bird over and cook for another 45 minutes or until the legs come away easily from the bone
When cooked, open the oven bag and increase the oven temperature to 210C and return gosling to oven to brown for 10 minutes
Serve with cranberry or apple sauce

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