Let me guess- "Sloppy Joe's"?? With due respect to Hemingway's friend, Josie Russell, owner of Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West- back in the day.
Christmas eve, we have a roast goose with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and red cabbage-- I like a cold Warsteiner brau with my serving, other may prefer a suitable red wine. I am in a fairly good area of MI for geese, all season long- with a most generous daily bag limit.
Here's my "secret" to a great wild game meal-- Pick a younger bird from the bag, not always size alone- but the wings are one of the clues- if the joints are supple and bend easily. you have a youngster.
Skin out and remove breast bone and dis-joint the legs, saving only the thighs-- Marinate 48 hours in a glass bowl in Vernor's ginger ale--covered in your fridge. We use a Nesco electric roaster, same as you might use for a turkey--place bird sections, lightly peppered, on the rack, over a generous beddding of wet sauerkraut, laced with large apple slices dunked in brown sugar-
The trick to cooking waterfowl is to use high heat for a shorter time, so that when you place a sharp knife into the thickness of the breast meat, the blood barely drips from the blade-- I like to fry good quality bacon as the goose is nearing the end of cooking, and drain on paper towels, then garnish the goose and sauerkraut, prior to serving--
For New Year's I do pheasants on the charcoal grill- dressed out breasts wrapped in good bacon, and with sweet onion slices and apple slices, peppered, and double wrapped in Reynold's wrap-- I use a Weber charcoal grill, and put the wrapped birds on the "off-direct-heat" side of the grill rack- about 45 minutes, turning the packed in foil birds several times-- Baked potatoes with sour cream, and asparagus and a Zindandel or Merlot, caesar salad and rolls- Bon appetite..
