For 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 goose (6 kg)
• 1 Apple
• 1 pear
• Some chestnuts
• 1 bunch thyme / marjoram
• Spice lake salt fine
• A little potato starch to thicken the sauce
• 3 carrots
• ½ Celery
• 1 small leek
• Parsley root
• approx. ¼ l port wine
• approx. ¼ l red wine

Ingredients for red cabbage:

• 750 g red cabbage
• 2 apples
• 2 tbsp apple vinegar
• 250 ml red wine
• 250 ml water
• 250 ml blackcurrant juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 peppercorns
• 5 juniper berries
• 3 cloves
• 100 g onion
• 50 g brown sugar
• 80 g goose fat
• A little cinnamon
• Cranberries

Ingredients for potato dumplings:

• 750 g floury potatoes
• 40 g butter (melted)
• 200 g coarse-grained flour
• 80 g semolina
• 4 egg yolks
• A little nutmeg
• 100 g butter
• Some crumbs

The evening before the feast: Cut or slice the red cabbage into fine strips without the stalk and place in a large bowl. Peel the apples, cut into cubes that are not too small and mix into the cabbage. Pour over the vinegar, red wine and blackcurrant juice. Place the bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries and cloves in a small cloth and tie it into a small bag with kitchen twine. Place the spice bag in the cabbage and cover the bowl with foil. Leave to infuse overnight in a cool place.

On the day of the feast: Heat the Merklinger to a temperature of 130°C to 160°C.

Finely rub the goose inside and out with salt. Halve, core and dice the apple and pear, stuff into the goose together with the chestnuts and marjoram. Close the goose with kitchen twine and toothpicks and place in a cheese roll. Pour in two fingerfuls of red wine and port and cook the goose, breast side up, in the oven at approx. 130°C to 160°C for 3 hours. After 2 1/2 hours, add the chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, leek and parsley root). Baste with the lard from time to time.

We continue with the red cabbage about 1 hour before the goose is ready. Cut the onion into strips, add the sugar and goose fat to a cast iron pot with a lid and sauté briefly. Add the red cabbage with all the ingredients to the pot and stew for about 20 minutes in the Merklinger together with the goose. Then remove the pot with the red cabbage, season with salt and cinnamon and stew for a further 20 to 30 minutes until soft. Finally, season to taste with Gewürzsee plum salt, cranberries and brandy.

About 45 minutes before the goose is ready, it's time to make the dumplings. Peel the floury potatoes and boil in salted water. Drain and press through a potato ricer. While still hot, knead with the remaining ingredients and season with salt and nutmeg. Form twelve dumplings from the mixture and cook in a pot of water with the lid on for approx. 20 minutes.

There's room for everything in the Merklinger 800, the goose, the dumplings and the red cabbage 😉

Melt the butter in a pan and fry the panko breadcrumbs in it for the dumplings when serving.

After 3 hours, increase the temperature in the Merklinger to approx. 250 °C (add some more wood), remove the lid of the roasting tin and roast the goose for another 30 minutes until crispy. Do not baste with drippings.

The feast is ready

Lightly thicken the gravy with potato starch. Cut the goose into pieces with poultry shears and serve with red cabbage, dumplings and goose gravy. Enjoy your meal and happy holidays!