Note that the drying of the skin, essential for crispness, requires one to two days. Before beginning, please read About Goose and Roasting Whole Poultry.
Remove the neck and giblets from, then rinse and pat dry:
1 goose (10 to 12 pounds)
Reserve the neck and giblets for gravy. Snip the wing tips off and reserve them for gravy as well. Pull out any lumps of fat from around the cavities. Using small pliers, pull out any quills in the skin. Pull up the skin at the neck end and locate the wishbone. Scrape along the wishbone with a paring knife until the bone is exposed, then cut the bone free and pull it out. Using a sharp skewer or trussing needle, prick the skin all over, especially over the thighs and breast, holding the skewer nearly parallel to the bird to avoid puncturing the meat.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Protecting your hands with rubber gloves, submerge the neck end of the goose in the boiling water for 1 minute. Pull the goose out, then submerge the tail end for 1 minute. Remove the goose from the water, drain, and pat as dry as possible, inside and out. Set the goose breast side up on a flat rack set in a roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 to 48 hours to dry the skin (see Preparing a Goose for Roasting). Meanwhile, using the goose neck and giblets, prepare through the step where it is thickened with roux:
Giblet Gravy
Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325┬░F.
Prepare and have hot:
Bread Stuffing with Sausage and Apples, Bread Stuffing with Toasted Nuts or Chestnuts and Dried Fruit, or Herbed Mashed Potato Stuffing
Loosely pack the body and neck cavities of the goose with stuffing and close the vents. Bake any leftover stuffing in a buttered dish. Place the goose breast side down on the rack in the roasting pan and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the goose from the oven and spoon out most of the fat in the roasting pan, being careful not to discard juices and browned bits. Turn the goose breast side up, return to the oven, and roast until the flesh of the drumsticks feels soft when pressed and the skin has puffed around the breast and tops of the thighs, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours longer. If you wish extra-crispy skin, set the goose, still on its rack, on a baking sheet. Increase the oven temperature to 400┬░F and roast the goose for 15 minutes more. Remove the cooked goose to a cutting board and let stand for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, carefully pour, then spoon, the fat out of the roasting pan, retaining all juices and browned roasting particles. Set the pan on two burners over medium heat. Pour in:
1/2 cup Madeira or port
Bring the mixture to a simmer, all the while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Pour the drippings into the giblet gravy base. Place the gravy over medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Season with:
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Let the goose stand for 15 minutes, then remove the stuffing and carve the meat. Cut any skin that becomes detached from the meat into strips. Serve the stuffing, meat, and skin with the gravy.
