Grilled Goose Breast Sandwich, French Onion Soup-Style

By Andrew Zimmern

Rich, rosy goose breast gets grilled to medium-rare, piled onto toasted rolls with deeply caramelized French onion soup-style onions, crispy goose skin cracklings, and molten caciocavallo scraped right onto the sandwich. It eats like a cross between a steak sandwich and the best crock of onion soup you’ve ever had.

Andrew Zimmern Grilled Goose Sandwich on Wild Game Kitchen

Grilled Goose Sandwich

Ingredients

For the goose cracklings and onions

Skin from 2 goose breasts
4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 small bouquet garni of thyme and rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup rich beef stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

For the goose

2 goose breasts, skin removed
1 tablespoon minced thyme
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 tablespoon minced tarragon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons neutral oil

For the sandwiches

4 crusty sandwich rolls
Olive oil, for brushing rolls
1 whole caciocavallo cheese
Wire or heat-safe twine, for hanging the caciocavallo

Instructions

Render the goose skin

Cut the goose skin into large pieces and place in a skillet with a splash of water over medium heat. Cook slowly until the fat renders and the skin begins to crisp. Once the pieces shrink and firm up, chop or snip them into smaller pieces and continue cooking until deeply browned and crisp. Transfer to paper towels, season lightly with salt, and reserve. Save the rendered goose fat for the onions.

Caramelize the onions

Heat a few tablespoons of the rendered goose fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and bouquet garni. Cook slowly, stirring often, until the onions soften, release their moisture, and turn a deep golden brown. Stir in the sugar and tomato paste and cook briefly, taking care not to burn. Deglaze with the cognac and sherry, then add the beef stock. Simmer until thick, glossy, and the onions are jammy. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce at the end and finish with black pepper. Remove the bouquet garni. Reserve.

Grill the goose

Rub the skinned goose breasts with the oil, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Let sit while you prepare the grill.

Prepare a medium grill. Grill the goose breasts herb-side up first, then flip and cook until medium-rare, about 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on thickness. You are looking for an internal temperature around 135 degrees Fahrenheit, knowing the meat will carry over slightly as it rests. Do not overcook. Let rest before slicing thinly.

Toast the rolls

Brush the cut sides of the rolls lightly with olive oil and toast on the grill until warm and lightly crisped.

Melt the caciocavallo

Trim away the rind from the lower portion of the caciocavallo. Suspend it safely near the fire until the exposed cheese softens and melts. Scrape the melted cheese directly onto the sandwiches as you build them.

Build the sandwiches

Slice the rested goose breasts thinly. Pile the meat onto the bottom halves of the toasted rolls. Spoon over the onion mixture, scatter with goose cracklings, then scrape over the melted caciocavallo. Top with the remaining bread and serve hot.