Lidl Goose ?

twerg_85

Hi all,
I bought a frozen goose breast in Lidl the other day for €7.99.

I pan fried half of it last night and it was fairly bland and a little chewy. Nowhere near as nice as a standard duck breast owuld have been.
I've got the other half stuffed and rolled, gonna poach it like a ballotine and finish in the pan to crisp up, hopefully it will be nicer.

Anyway, my question is has anyone else tried the goose from Lidl ? What did you think of it ?

I know that it's a very cheap price for goose so I can't expect much, but was still disappointed
F.

Whistlejacket

I think to get the best out of goose you need to roast it.

Geese require a grass-based diet and several months to grow, so they can't be intensively farmed. This is why they were replaced by the turkey on the Christmas table (you can fatten thousands of turkeys in a shed so they are much cheaper). Because geese are reared outdoors they get lots of exercise (anyone who has been chased by a hissing goose as a child can attest to how fast they are!). They do lay down a layer of fat under their skin (especially as most farmers will supplement their diet with grains as they approach slaughter age) but their breast muscle stays pretty thin and dark underneath the fat layer. I tend to think of them as being closer to a game bird than a modern farmed meat such as chicken, duck or turkey.

I have tried the goose breast from Lidl. It's a while ago but I think the label stated it was reared in Hungary. I roasted it along with some potatoes and ate it with redcurrant jelly and didn't find it to be too dry. That said, you could have just been unlucky with the one you got.

twerg_85

Thanks. The stuffed and rolled breast was much nicer so I think you're right, it was the method of cooking that was the problem.
F.

Miaireland

I have had both the goose breast and the full goose. I didn't think much of the goose breast.

The whole goose is way better, not very fatty.

pwurple

A lot of tasty meats get their flavour from being cooked on the bone. Is the breast on or off the bone?

twerg_85

Breast was on the bone, but I took it off.

I got expensive geese from butchers the last few years (€60-€70) and roasted them whole. Delicious, but was hoping to save a few quid this year if possible (plus I have to do a turkey a chicken and a ham too).

Think I'll go with the whole goose (€17 I think) so.

F.

Cheshire Cat

Definitely roast it whole. I slow-roast it: 1 hour at 220C and then 7 hours at 80C. Filling is bread, chestnuts, apple, celery, onion and thyme. Comes out melt in the mouth! Done several Lidl geese this way and all were lovely.

Michael G

Roasting it whole is the only way to go. I wait until the remaining few are marked down in the New Year. Lidl roast goose is my Easter treat.