Goose is entirely dark meat, but unlike most other dark-meat birds, it does not taste in the least bit gamy. Rather, goose tastes very much like well-done roast beef. Indeed, in seventeenth-century England, certain cuts of roast beef were known, fancifully, as goose.
Dressed geese generally weigh 9 to 12 pounds. Buy the largest one you can find, as there is a great deal of skin, fat, and bone in proportion to the meat. Except at holiday time, most geese come to market frozen, a process that they withstand quite nicely. You will find geese in all sizes and shapes. Some are long and slim, with thighs that protrude above the breastbone; others are wide and squat, with thighs tucked against the body. These variations have no relation to the quality of the goose and do not affect cooking.
Goose is famously fatΓÇöa single bird may release a quart or more of fat into the pan during roastingΓÇöbut, as with all poultry, the fat is under the skin, not in the meat itself, which is lean. Before roasting, goose needs to be scalded and dried to tighten the skin so that it squeezes out fat during cooking. The end result is crisp, fairly lean skin as irresistibly delicious as that of Peking duck.
As for all that fat left in the pan after the goose has been roasted, if it is a beautiful golden color, and not burnt or browned, it is delicious, so don't throw it out. Simply strain the fat into a clean container and keep it to use in place of lard to make Confit, above, or for frying most anything- especially potatoes.
Despite frequent advice to the contrary, goose really should be stuffed. The stuffing does not absorb fat, and since there is relatively little meat on a goose, a stuffing is needed in order to amply serve eight people. Goose is carved in the same basic way as chicken and turkey, but its leg and wing joints are harder and tighter and are located closer to the back. In other words, goose is best carved in the kitchen rather than at the table (but do exhibit it at the table first), for disjointing the bird is inevitably a bit of a struggle. While you are at it, you might consider making up individual plates of meat, skin, stuffing, and gravy in the kitchen, rather than bringing everything out to the dining room in serving dishes. This way, you can portion out the scarce meat and prized skin evenly and round out servings with generous helpings of stuffing.
Cut-Up Goose: Goose is usually roasted whole, but it can be cut into six serving pieces (two drumsticks, two thighs, and two breast halves) and cooked in parts. Cut off the legs and wings, leaving the oysters attached to the legs and severing the wings as close to the body as possible (see How to Cut Up Poultry). Cut the legs into two pieces at the thigh/drumstick joint. Pull up the skin at the neck end of the body and locate the wishbone. Free the wishbone from the surrounding flesh with the point of a paring knife and pull the bone free. If you wish to prepare bone-in breast halves for confit, cut out the backbone with poultry shears, then divide the breast lengthwise in half, through the breastbone, with a heavy knife. If you wish to make boneless breast halves, slit the breast from one end to the other alongside the breastbone. Scrape the knife down the side of the breastbone and over the ribs to remove one side of the breast. Repeat to remove the other side. If you wish, pull the skin off the breast halves, then carefully trim away any clinging bits of fat and membrane. Chop up the wings and combine them with the carcass and giblets to make stock, following the directions for turkey stock.
Goose parts can be substituted in any recipe calling for duck breasts or legs. If the goose is large, a quarter breast will be sufficient for one serving.
