Roasted goose with chestnut filling

• Cut the tips of the wings of on the joint. Take away the visible white fat in the belly. Save the lard.

• Pat the goos dry and flavor it with salt and pepper. Tie the wings down underneath the goose with kitchen twine. Sting the goose about 5 times with the needle, so the fat can drain out during the cooking. Preheat the oven at 180°C.

• Detach the chestnuts. Peel and chop 1 onion. Bake the onion flakes and chestnuts in 50 grams of butter. Add a half of a thyme and a half of a marjoram together with 2 bay leaves and bake this together with the onion and chestnuts. Flavor it with salt, pepper and vinegar. Put the mixture in the belly. Close the gab with the skewers and tie this together with kitchen twine.

• Lay the goos down in a casserole with its chest up. Roast the goose in a preheated oven, on the bottum grid, in about 30 minutes. Peel the sellery, leek, carrots and what’s left of the onion and cut it in dices. Knead the flour and what is left of the butter and put it in the refridgerator.

• Remove the goose from the oven. Put a little bit of the fat on the goose. Pour the rest of the fat carefully in a bowl. Cook 500 ml of water, put some salt in it and pour it in the casserole. Put the diced vegetables in the casserole as well.

• Roast the goose for another 2,5 hours. After about 1,5 hour you add 500 ml of hot duck fond together with what is left of the thyme and marjoram.

• Remove the goose from the oven. Put the oven on 220°C. Put the goose on antother baking tray. Mix ca. 1 El salt with 6 El water and put a part of this on the goose. Roast the goose for another 20-30 minutes to give it a nice brown color. Put the saltwater on the goose again after 10 minutes.

• Heat up the rest of the duck fond and add it tot he vegetables, to dissolvet he meat juices. Pour the mixture through a sieve in a big pan. Let half of the liquid condense. Giet alles door een zeef in een grote pan. Remove the excess fat with a little spoon. Add the cold flour-butter in lumps and stir the mixture with a whisk. Cook the sauce for 10-12 more minutes. If necesarry, flavor it with herbs.

• Remove the skewers and the kitchen twine. Decorate the goose with bay leaves. Serve the goose with the chestnut filling, sauce and red cabbage. Could also be served with dumplings and boiled patatoes.