New Year's Day main course: goose-breast reubens. Goose breasts were soaked in a heartily spiced brine for 12 hours, dried overnight, then hot-smoked for a few hours before chilling for a few days. Then shaved in the slicer, fried with black pepper, and heaped onto grilled homemade caraway rye, with melted swiss, sauerkraut, and a homemade dressing (mayo, worcestershire, hot sauce, minced red bell pepper, minced onion, dash of ketchup, sweet pickle relish, freshly grated horseradish root).
Wow were they good. Goose is beefy to start with, lovely grass-fed birds they are. The slightly cured and smoked goose breast had a lovely deep burgundy coloring and an aromatic smokiness reminiscent of pastrami. This really came out as it heated on the griddle with butter and black pepper, the edges crisping up baconly. I'm almost getting hungry again.