Crisp-Skinned Roast Goose and Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 whole goose, neck, giblets, wing tips, and wishbone removed and reserved
• 1/2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 6 tablespoons Morton's kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 8 large sprigs parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Amontillado sherry
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. With kitchen shears, cut away any extra skin around the goose’s neck. Pull the pale, bumpy fat deposits from the cavity with your fingers or shears. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the solid fat, plus another 1/3 cup if you are preparing prune and apple stuffing. Dry the saved fat, refrigerate it until firm, then mince it.
2. Using a trussing needle or a small paring knife, make tiny punctures across the goose skin at 1/2-inch intervals on both sides. Aim to go through the skin without piercing the meat underneath. Be especially thorough in the fattier spots, including under the wings and around the thighs.
3. Fill a large stock pot two-thirds full of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put on clean rubber kitchen gloves, hold the goose by the legs, and dip it neck-end first into the boiling water so that half the bird is submerged. Hold it there for 1 minute. Lift it out and let the water run back into the pot, then set the goose on a work surface. Hold the wings and lower the other half of the goose, tail-end first, into the boiling water for 1 minute more. Lift it out again, let the extra water drip into the pot, and move the goose back to the work surface. Dry it thoroughly inside and out with paper towels.
4. Combine the kosher salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the mixture generously and evenly over the skin, using only as much as you need for a complete coating. You probably will not use all of it, and depending on the bird’s size and how salty you like things, less than half may be plenty. Set the goose on a rack in a roasting pan and refrigerate it, uncovered, for 12-24 hours.
5. If you are using store-bought chicken broth, place it in a microwave-safe medium bowl and scatter the gelatin evenly over the top. Leave it for 5 minutes, then microwave in 1 minute intervals, whisking after each, until the gelatin has dissolved. While that happens, warm the 3 tablespoons minced reserved fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it renders and leaves little browned pieces, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the goose neck, wing tips, wishbone, and all of the giblets except the liver, and cook until deeply browned, 8-10 minutes.
6. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the saucepan and cook, stirring as needed, until the vegetables start taking on color, about 10 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover the pan, and keep it at the gentlest simmer for 2 hours. Add more stock or water if needed so the solids stay covered. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a 4-cup measuring cup and strain the stock, pressing the solids with a ladle or spoon to get out as much liquid as possible. Save the heart and gizzard and chop them finely; discard the remaining solids. Skim the fat from the stock, then add more chicken stock or water if needed to measure 2 full cups. The stock may be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
7. Move an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Take the goose from the refrigerator and set it breast-side down in a V-rack inside a roasting pan. Transfer it to the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Take the pan out and carefully move the V-rack with the goose to a work surface. Spoon or pour nearly all of the rendered fat from the roasting pan into a heat-safe bowl or container, leaving a few tablespoons behind along with the browned bits. Save the rendered fat. Put the V-rack and goose back in the roasting pan, then use two wooden spoons inserted into the neck and body cavities to carefully turn the goose breast-side up. Return it to the oven and continue roasting until the skin has browned and looks puffed around the breast bone and the tops of the thighs, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer. Remove it from the oven.
8. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and set the V-rack with the goose on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the goose back in the oven until the skin is deeply browned and crisp, about 15 minutes longer. Remove it from the oven and rest it, uncovered, for 30 minutes. While it rests, pour the newly rendered fat from the roasting pan into the reserved fat. Do not clean the roasting pan.
9. Bring the reserved goose stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Set the roasting pan across 2 burners over low heat. Pour in the sherry and use a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits from the pan. Bring the sherry to a boil and cook it for 30 seconds. Add everything from the roasting pan to the saucepan of goose stock. Stir in the chopped reserved gizzard and heart, and keep the mixture simmering for 5 minutes.
10. Mince the reserved goose liver. In a clean medium saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of the reserved rendered goose fat with the flour over medium-low heat, stirring the whole time, until it smells toasty and turns light brown, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Whisk the hot goose stock into the flour mixture. Set the pan over low heat and simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced liver and continue to simmer for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Carve the goose and pass the gravy alongside.