Slow-Roasted Goose Legs

Ingredients

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• 4 goose legs about 1 lb (450 to 500 g) each
• 1 tbsp coarse salt for rubbing in
• 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
• 2 tbsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried mugwort optional
• 2 tart apples quartered and cored
• 2 onions cut into thick wedges
• 600 ml (2 1/2 cup) water 300 ml for the pan, 100 ml for topping up, 200 ml hot for the gravy
• 1 tbsp cornstarch for the gravy, stirred into 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C) conventional, or 275 °F (130 °C) with convection, and set the rack in the lower third. Do not wash the raw legs. Pat them very dry all over with paper towels and discard the towels immediately. Prick the skin many times with a fork or a pointed knife, without piercing the meat, so the fat can drain.
2. Mix the salt, pepper, marjoram and mugwort and rub the legs all over with it.
3. Put the onions and apples in a roasting pan or deep baking dish and pour in 300 ml (1¼ cups) water. Set the legs on top, skin side up, so the skin does not sit in the water.
4. Roast uncovered, without a lid or foil, for 2 hours 45 minutes. After about 1 hour and then every 45 minutes, spoon the rendered fat out of the pan into a heatproof jar. Caution, risk of burns: the fat and the pan are very hot, so wear oven mitts. If the water has evaporated, add 100 ml (scant ½ cup) hot water. Do not baste the legs, so the skin stays dry.
5. Measure the internal temperature at the thickest part of the leg, without touching the bone, with a thermometer: it should be about 195 °F (90 °C), at least 185 °F (85 °C). The meat is done when it gives way at the bone and a fork slides in without resistance. Otherwise roast for another 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Raise the oven to 425 °F (220 °C) conventional and roast the legs for 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown, blistered and crisp. Stay near the oven and watch them, because goose skin burns quickly.
7. Lift the legs out of the pan and let them rest on a warmed plate under loosely laid foil for 10 minutes. Carefully pour the remaining fat into the jar, leaving only about 2 tablespoons in the pan.
8. For the gravy, mash the apples and onions in the pan with a potato masher, add 200 ml (scant 1 cup) hot water and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer for 5 minutes, stir in the starch mixture and bring to a boil for 1 minute, until the gravy thickens. Press it through a sieve and season with salt, pepper and a little marjoram.

Tip: Strain the goose fat and keep it in a closed jar in the refrigerator: it keeps for several weeks and gives fried potatoes and cabbage a rich flavor.

Tip: If the skin is already dark before the final minutes, cover the legs loosely with parchment paper and do not raise the temperature further. The skin still darkens in the last step.