When your goose is well picked, singed, and cleaned, take two large onions*, and half as much sage, chop them very fine, a large breakfastcup-ful of stale bread crumbs, and some pepper and salt, add to them the yolk of an egg, and incorporate the whole well together; put this stuffing into the goose; do not quite fill it with stuffing, but leave a little room for it to swell, spit it, and tie it on the spit at both ends, so as it will not swing round, and to keep the stuffing from coming out. An hour and a quarter will roast a large full grown goose: send up rich gravy and apple sauce with it.

* If the flavour of the raw onions is too strong, cut them in slices and lay them in cold water for a couple of hours, or add as much apple or potatoe as you have onion.

For another stuffing for geese, see No. 388, Chapter on Forcemeats, etc.

Observations

The Michaelmas goose is famous in the mouths of the million; but for those who eat with delicacy, it is at that time too full grown. The true period when the goose is in its highest perfection, is when it has just acquired its full growth, and not begun to harden. If the green goose is insipid, the Micliaetmas goose is rank; the fine time is between both; from the last week in June to the first week in September.

Green Goose

The only difference in roasting a green, or a full grown goose, consists in leaving out the sage and onion, and putting only a seasoning of pepper and salt into it, and that forty or fifty minutes will roast it.

The following forcemeat is sometimes introduced: chop some sweet herbs, grate some bread, nutmeg, pepper and salt, moisten with an eggy and mix with it the liver cut small, and a bit of minced bacon; mix all well together, and fill the body of the goose with it.