St Martin's goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings

On the eleventh of November, St Martin's Day is celebrated throughout Austria. In addition to well-known customs such as the St Martin's procession with lanterns, songs and St Martin's rolls as well as the St Martin's blessing, St Martin's begging and St Martin's singing, the table is also set with traditional delicacies on this day - goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings. We'll tell you how to prepare this sophisticated dish. "Goose" you can simply create!

The origin of the Martinsgansl tradition

The legend ...

The custom of St Martin's goose goes back to the legend of St Martin. According to the well-known cloak distribution, Martin lived in Tours, France, around the year 371. He was a devout monk and was to be ordained a bishop. However, Martin, who felt unworthy of the office, hid in the goose house - but the poultry began to chatter so loudly that they gave away St Martin's hiding place. The farmers discovered him and had him consecrated Bishop of Tours. As a reminder of this, goose is traditionally eaten on St Martin's Day.

The (presumed) historical origin ...

However, historians believe that the St Martin's goose tradition can be traced back to the fact that in the Middle Ages, wages were paid and taxes were collected on St Martin's Day. As many people kept geese, they were often used to pay the tax. Usually there was also a festivity on this date that offered to slaughter a goose. 

Goose simple, goose delicious - our recipe

Ingredients

The goose

- A goose
- Two apples
- Two oranges
- A tablespoon of marjoram and thyme
- Four tablespoons of olive oil
- A bunch of thyme
- 120g honey
- A bottle of beer
- A teaspoon of salt and pepper

The red cabbage

- 500g red cabbage
- One tablespoon of caraway seeds
- 250ml orange juice
- 150ml red wine
- Juice of half a lemon
- One cinnamon stick
- One teaspoon of salt

The potato dumplings

- 500g potatoes
- 120g potato starch
- One tablespoon of semolina
- One teaspoon of salt
- A pinch of nutmeg

Preparation

For the goose

- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
- Cut the apples and oranges into eighths, mix with the spices and stuff the mixture into the goose.
- Rub the outside of the goose with salt, pepper, marjoram and thyme.
- Place the goose in a large greased roasting tin.
- Add the bunch of thyme.
- Roast the goose in the oven for half an hour, brushing it several times with honey and basting it with beer.
- Turn the oven down to 180 degrees, deglaze with water and roast in the oven for around two hours.

For the red cabbage

- Clean, wash and finely chop the red cabbage.
- Refine with orange juice, red wine, lemon juice, salt and caraway seeds and leave to soak for a while.
- Cook the red cabbage with the cinnamon bark in a pan for 30 minutes until soft.

For the potato dumplings

- Boil the potatoes until soft, peel and press through a potato ricer or mash with a potato masher.
- Mix the mixture with the potato starch, semolina, salt and nutmeg.
- Leave the dough to rest for half an hour.
- Shape the mixture into dumplings and cook in a pan of salted water for 15 minutes.