Ernie Mellor's roasting technique is paired with a cornbread stuffing loaded with almost every Christmas flavor. Be particular about regularly poking the bird with your meat thermometer (every 30 minutes for the first hour and a half, then every 10 minutes after that)—an overcooked goose is not even good to your pets. Serve with maple-glazed sweet potatoes and some cider-braised greens, or any other family favorite.

Ingredients:

Brine:

2 gallons water

1 cup salt

1 cup black pepper

1 cup brown sugar

Goose:

1 wild goose, 4 to 5 pounds dressed, well plucked and cleaned

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to  taste

1/2 cup bacon fat (or oil)

2 to 4 cups chicken stock

Stuffing:

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced yellow onion

3/4 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon fresh sage,  chopped 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground  black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 dozen shucked oysters,  drained and liquor reserved 

1/4 cup chopped roasted  chestnuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries,  plumped in warm water 

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 to 2 cups buttermilk 

4 cups stale crumbled cornbread

1. To brine the goose, mix the water, salt, pepper, and brown sugar together in a large pot. Place the goose in the brine mixture and refrigerate overnight. 

2. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and celery and cook for about 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Season with sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne, remove from heat, and set aside. When cool, fold in the oysters, chestnuts, and plumped cranberries. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oyster liquor, and a cup of buttermilk, and pour the mixture over the crumbled cornbread. (If using fresh cornbread, first crumble it onto a baking sheet and dry in a 200-degree oven for 1 hour or more, until very dry.) After the cornbread has absorbed the liquid, fold in the oyster mixture. Add more buttermilk if the stuffing seems perilously dry, but don't overmoisten it.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the goose from the brine, pat dry, and season all over with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat the bacon fat on high. Sear the goose on all sides, for about 2 to 3 minutes each, until the skin is seared and lightly golden. Reseason with salt and pepper, making sure to include the inside of the goose this time, and fill it with the stuffing. (If you have any left over, bake it in a greased pan or glass dish alongside the goose for 55 minutes.) Truss the goose's legs and place it breast side up in a roasting rack.

4. Pour the chicken stock into a roasting pan until it comes 1/4 to 1/2 inch up the sides. Lower the rack into the pan and roast the goose for roughly 2 hours, until a thermometer placed in the thigh reaches 160. Maintain the liquid level by adding more chicken stock, if necessary. (If the skin begins to get too brown, cover it loosely with a tent of aluminum foil.) Remove from the oven and let the goose sit, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes. The center of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees; if it's not cooked thoroughly, transfer it to a pan and place it back in the oven until done.