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Who the hell cooks up a goose anymore?

I'm still tired of turkey, having had it in sandwiches and soup after two thanksgivings (I celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving). Since we're doing a low-key Christmas, I can't do goose (too big). So I've decided on a duck roast, with a couple of veggie sides.

Turkey is for Thanksgiving, prime rib with Yorkshire pudding is Christmas and lamb is Easter.

I finally rebelled against the turkey again and started insisting on prime rib. Everyone loved it, and now it's the new thing, as long as I'm there to cook it.

"A goose! A goose! Let me touch it!" - our arcane Christmas Carol reference, this time of year - I usually make goose with my mother in law's apple dressing, and sauteed spinach on the side, but we'll have to choke down a standing rib roast at my uncles this year. It's a dirty business, but someone's gotta do it. Maybe goose for New Year's Eve?

Goose always sounds good in theory, very Chaz Dickens and all, but in practice, I find it much too rich and kinda greasy. We've done ham the past couple of years because there's so much food that you can put it out on a buffet and people can eat what they want. This year, Dad's lobbying for rib roast, so we're going old school: rib roast w/roasted potatoes and veg, and yorkshire pudding.

We will have ham for christmas and beef or pork loin for new years day.
A pasta in their someplace. I don't want to see any more fowl for a little while.

We ferried a huge prime rib roast for 1300 miles after Thanksgiving. It is now defrosting slowly in the refrigerator. We go a long way for a butcher we can count on; we tried half a dozen one fall before we found one we really liked. There will be a heritage turkey and a heritage ham for the week following. They have come from other parts of the country as will the smoked fish and bagels for Christmas brunch. Definitely not eating locally for the last week of the year: tradition and taste buds rule!

I love turkey, Thanksgiving is usually my 3rd of 4th bird of the season but Christmas is not a time for poultry or beef, it's a time for Ham. A spiral ham is the key to the holiday, preferably with a nice sugary glaze on the outside. It's ideal for the holiday especially if you have time for the dinner Christmas eve because ham with Christmas breakfast is excellent as well. It makes great sandwiches later on and is a total departure from all of the other holiday feasts.

Happy Eating!

Topslakr

I have cooked a Christmas goose for over 20 years. I look forward to the wonderful crispy skin and slightly oily yet tender meat all year long.

Plus, I end up with close to a quart of goose grease that I use to fry potatoes, eggs, and what all throughout the year.

Make 2007 the Year of the Goose!

My MIL insists on turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but since everyone likes dark meat we get stuck with all this leftover white meat. (blech) I would LOVE to have lobster or roast beast for Christmas (or a pork roast rubbed with oregano and garlic!).

Since I have multiple houses and multiple families, I don't get the wear and tear turkey burnout. There's always something a little different.

Dad's wife is a firm believer in turkey for Thanksgiving and beef for Christmas. Not sure if it will be standing rib roast or tenderloin, but it will be roast beast for sure.

Mom is turkey for turkey day (mostly). There's the occaisional ham (southern family roots, delicious holiday ham), or even a pork loin roast recently. One year we each had individual cornish hens on our plates with wild rice stuffing. Same for Christmas. There has been Christmas goose, roast beast, etc. etc. etc.

I like the variety. The 'tradition' part for me is about the meal for sure, but has become less about the center piece main course.