Okay, wow, this has taken me way too long to post. I promised you a recipe for perfect roast chicken or roast goose just in case you didn’t feel like roasting an entire turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner.

You already have my recipe for a Traditional Roast Chicken. This is a very good recipe(in my humble opinion), which has panned out for me time and time again. However, if you want a variation on it to make it a little more special on such a big occasion, here are some ideas:

1. Brine your chicken using the same recipe that I gave you for the turkey. 1/2 cup salt for every 1 gallon water.
2. Stuff chicken with 1 lemon (halved) and 4 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed). Baste with melted butter seasoned with lemon zest and pepper.
3. Stuff the chicken with 1 cup herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, chives, savory, tarragon). Baste with herb infused butter (simmer the butter at a very low temperature for 10 minutes while steeping a single herb in the butter).
4. Stuff the chicken with 1 yellow onion or 2 shallots (peeled and halved) and 1/2 cup mushrooms or mushrooms stems. De-glaze the roasting pan with mushroom broth and serve with a roast chicken and mushroom sauce.
5. Crank the oven temp at the very end of the roasting time in order to get really crisp, delicious skin.

Roast goose is something I have only attempted myself once. My virgin attempt was not fantastic, but it was good enough that I plan on cooking it a few more times to perfect the recipe. Until then I can give you the following recipe and a few tips that I have gathered from Jeffrey Steingarten and Barbara Kafka.  For ingredients you’ll need a 10 pound goose, an onion, an apple, kosher salt, black pepper, and red wine.  For equipment you’ll need a roasting pan equipped with a V-rack and a meat thermometer.

1. Brine your goose using the same recipe that I gave you for the turkey. 1/2 cup salt for every 1 gallon water.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Remove the bird from the brine, rinse it in fresh water, and pat it dry.
4. Pierce the skin and fat of the goose 100 times taking care not to cut into the meat.
5. Let the goose sit at room temperature for at least two hours.
6. Halve the onion, peel it, and trim the root end.
7. Peel, core, and halve the apple.
8. Insert the onion and apple into the cavity of the goose.
9. Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on the goose.
10. Place the goose on the V-rack, breast side down. Place the goose in the oven roast for 40 minutes
11. Flip the goose over so that it is breast side up taking care not to spill any goose fat onto the floor over the oven (it will burn and smoke and make your smoke detector beep for an agonizing 20 minutes). Baste the goose with the drippings from the roasting pan mixed with an equal part of red wine. Continue to roast for another 30 minutes.
12. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and open the oven door for 3-5 minutes to vent the heat. Baste the goose again and cook for another 60 minutes.
13. The goose is done when the thigh meat registers 170 on an instant read thermometer. Remember that the goose’s internal temperature will continue to rise a few degrees after it is removed from the oven.
14. Allow the goose to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving in order for the juices to redistribute.