22 Nebraskaland • June 2026
In the Field
Roast Goose with
Black Cherries
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Published in Nebraskaland's first Wild Game
Cookbook in 1978, "Roast Goose with Black
Cherries" intrigued me. This is my kind of recipe.
Dark fruit complements the minerality of goose
and duck brilliantly.
I didn't have a goose in the freezer, so chose
a larger, fatty wigeon. Use a corn cob holder to
poke holes all over the skin, which will allow fat
to render more easily. Then, rub a piece of lemon
all over the skin, which will also help break down
fat. Season the inside and outside of the bird with
fine sea salt. Stuff the bird with the used piece of
lemon along with a quarter of an onion and some
fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary.
Ducks are much smaller than geese, so will
take less time to roast. Place the duck(s) in a
cast iron or roasting pan (with vegetables if
desired, such as fennel, potatoes and/or carrots)
and cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40
minutes, depending on size. There's also no need
to repeatedly remove rendered fat from the pan —
do that once at the end.
After roasting, remove the pan from the
oven. Crank up heat to 450 degrees. When the
oven comes to temperature, return the duck (or
goose) to the oven for the skin to brown, about
10-15 minutes, rotating the pan occasionally to
encourage even browning.
Instead of fresh cherries, I used a 15-ounce
can of Oregon Dark Sweet Cherries, which I
simmered with a couple of sprigs of thyme and a
squeeze of lemon juice for 20 minutes to thicken
the syrup.
Sadly, I could not track down Cherry Kijafa. So,
I used Luxardo's Cherry Sangue Morlacco in the
gravy, and cut the recipe by half. Though, to be
honest, I didn't think gravy was necessary. The
dark cherries and syrup could stand on their own.
For more flavor, stir in a spoonful of duck pan
juices to the cherries.
