My Goose Was Already Cooked

Many years ago I remember trying to cook a Christmas goose. It wasn’t a total disaster, but I do remember gamey, less-than-tender meat, and copious amounts of grease. So, despite several food wishes for this iconic holiday roast, I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to revisit.

Then, I received an offer to try a pre-cooked, smoked goose from Schiltz Foods. They’re the country’s largest goose producer, and a sponsor of this year’s Tasty Awards. They were offering their geese to select Tasty Award nominees to try out, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I’ll admit to being skeptical since reheating pre-cooked meats usually don’t produce the best results. However, this turned out amazingly well. As you’ll see, the skin roasted up perfectly crisp, and the meat was moist and flavorful. By the way, I did zero food styling in this video, and the magazine-quality final product you see in these photos was exactly what came out of the oven.

Since the bird is brined and smoked, the taste is that of a very rich, moderately salty ham. So, if you want a Christmas goose that actually tastes like goose, this may not be your best choice. But, if you’re considering a holiday ham, and want a real showstopper in the center of the table, I think this is a great choice. Think of it as a delicious ham with wings.

I sacrificed half the wings to make a basic reduction sauce, and the subtle smokiness worked wonderfully with the red wine, balsamic vinegar, and blackberry notes. The sauce is certainly optional, as this could be served plain with just some cranberry sauce on the side. I hope you’re able to give this very easy-to-prepare, gorgeous roast goose a try. Enjoy!

1 whole pre-cooked smoked goose (mine was about 6 pounds)

For the sauce:

2 flat sections of goose’s wings

1/2 cup red wine

3 cups water

1 star anise

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup blackberry jam

2-3 tablespoons cold butter, cut in cubes

salt to taste

Disclaimer: As stated above, this post was made possible by Schiltz Foods, Inc., who provided the smoked goose free of charge. I’d like to thank them for bringing goose back into my life. If you want more information, or are interested in ordering a goose for the holidays, please follow this link to their official website.

Chiu Chow Cuisine, Hong Kong

Aside from dumplings at dim sum packed with peanuts, Chiu Chow cuisine isn't one I remember trying. Dad was excited about the prospect - "goose blood!" which filled me with a slight apprehension.

Sheung Hing restaurant is a no-frills affair but reputedly very good for this cuisine. Typically of the cuisine, little thimble-sized cups of tea are served as we sat down. We kicked off with the dumplings, fried, which were perfectly nice. The goose blood with pieces of squid turned up; annoyingly, I forgot to take a photo of it. It had the texture of soft silken tofu, and the flavour, slightly iron-rich was mild. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

The dishes then arrived in quick succession and our table groaned under the weight of it all. Baby oyster congee was very different to Cantonese congee; rather than thick and slightly gloopy, it was more of a rice soup, some of the grains still intact. Little baby oysters along with minced pork bobbed around and gave the soup a subtle seafood flavour and were sweet in the mouth.

Steamed goose, resting atop cubes of fried tofu was excellent. Moist, tender and a flavourful strip of fat, dribbling all its juices onto the sponge-like tofu underneath.

Surf clams were served in their shell. The flesh was sweet and chewy, coated lightly with a black bean sauce. It was a shame more shells were empty than I'd have liked.

A soup of skinned mung beans, on the house, was hot, sweet and slightly bland.

These taro sticks, coated in sugar and deep fried were intensely sweet. I really dislike taro as a dessert but stuffed one down in politeness. My teeth ached a bit afterwards.

Far more to my taste were these crystal balls, also served hot and filled with either yellow bean paste or red bean paste. They were little squidgy balls of joy.

This was one of the best meals we ate in Hong Kong; that baby oyster congee was such a great balance of meatiness, tastes of the sea and light in flavour. Now, where can I find Chiu Chow in London?

Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant

29 Queen's Road West,
Hong Kong

Yung Kee - Roast Goose & Century Eggs in Hong Kong

From one Michelin starred joint to the next, this time entirely different in both character and style. My mum first laughed at me when I whipped out my list and suggested we go to Yung Kee for a dinner; "I used to get my takeaway lunches from here when I was a girl!".

Situated in the busy and bustling night life of Lan Kwai Fong, it is huge. Set over two floors, it is typically Chinese in style. Large round tables, loud chatter and plain unfussy furnishings.

We came here for two things really, what Yung Kee are known for. Roast goose is surprisingly difficult to find in London; when my mum asked why they didn't do it at a Chinese restaurant, we were told they weren't allowed to and it was something to do with legalities - can anyone confirm? - so we were very excited to get this on the table. The goose with it's sweet, crisp skin yielded to a soft layer of fat and slightly gamey, extremely moreish meat. Goose is usually quite a rich and filling meat due to the bird's fat content but I could have easily munched through the entire plate myself.

Century eggs were fine specimens. Served with sweet pickled ginger, the yolks were runny and gooey, a sure sign of top quality. They didn't have that slightly off-putting ammonia-like overtly eggy flavour either, which was a relief.

A mere two dishes for the three of us would have been a bit silly so we supplemented our meal with some fried scallops served with vegetables. Nothing earth-shattering, just fine. Sweet, tender scallops atop crunchy vegetables, this concluded our meal nicely.

From what I've seen, Michelin starred places in Hong Kong are far different to our own in London. Service doesn't seem to be taken much in account; while proficient, it wasn't particularly attentive.

Poor Mum choked a little upon arrival of the bill, her eyes widened in horror. "HK$220 (around £20) for half a roast goose?! When I was a girl....".

Yung Kee

32-40 Wellington Street,
Lan Kwai Fong,
Hong Kong

This review was supported by restaurantvouchers, who bring together those helpful 2 for 1 printable vouchers like Zizzi Vouchers, Prezzo Vouchers, Pizza Express Vouchers and loads more.

Merry Christmas!

Gravadlax & Guinness:

Roast Goose:

Vino:

Board games:

The aftermath: