Roasted Duck
Duck meat has a rich history of being enjoyed for many centuries by people from all walks of life. Interestingly, "The Presidential Cook Book" from 1896 by Edith Carew Roosevelt offers intriguing suggestions on preparing a superb duck dish fit for not just any discerning palate, but even for the President. This epicurean delicacy stands out as a wonderful substitute for more common poultry choices like chicken or turkey.
Browned, fragrant with citrus spices, well off the bone. This is my favorite way to make whole duck. Simple, fast, without unnecessary mess. The meat is well baked, well seasoned and quite juicy.
Yield: 8 portions
Equipment: Deep Cast Iron Roasting pan, and heavy duty fork for turning the duck during roasting
Ingredients:
2.5 kg Duckling (called duck under 6 months), washed and dry
2 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced parsley
125 g celery and fresh lovage leaves/ or substitute with parsley stems
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 oranges, cut into quarters for stuffing
4 peppercorns
sea salt and grind pepper
2 tablespoons Port wine or sherry to flavor gravy
2 tablespoons of minced orange peel(Optional) to garnish gravy
Instructions:
Place on the bottom of the roasting pan with 1/4 cup of water the following ingredients: celery, onion, fresh lovage, peppercorns, garlic, neck, gizzard, giblets heart and extra fat from around the neck and cavity. This will make a superb gravy while the duck is roasting.
2. Tie the wings and legs securely.
3. Season the cavity and outside duck with sea salt, thyme, sage and pepper.
4. Stuff the duck with oranges to fragrant the meat from the inside.
5. Sew up the opening firmly to keep the flavor in and the fat out.
6. Place the duck in the roasting pan, breast up. Score the duck breast and the thighs with sharp knife before roasting.Try not to cut it into the flash. This will help to extract the fat which is delicious to use for future cooking or frying. I use it as a spread on my sourdough bread instead of butter.
7. Heat up the oven to 450°F or 230°C.
8. Place the duck in to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes to get light brown color.
9. Reduce heat to 350°F or 178°C.
10. Turn duck on its other side with help of the heave duty fork. Do not cover the duck with anything. Let it roast freely for 30 minutes. Best practise is to set the timer on, to keep you well organized in your kitchen. I don’t baste the duck as I like the meat nice and crisp.
11. Again, after 30 minutes turn the duck on its other side and continue this practise until the duck is ready. Occasionally, remove the fat from the pan and pour it into small jars with lids.
12.Duck is ready when the internal temperature reads 180°F or 82°C for breast and thighs. Some cooks suggest much lower temperature but I prefer to be on the safe side.
13.Remove the duck from the pan. Discard all strings and the orange stuffing. Place the duck on a serving tray. Put it back into turned-off hot oven with door slightly open.
14.Place roasting pan on the heater, deglaze the pan with port wine and hot vegetable broth or water which will help to dissolve all the brown drippings. Reduce the liquid by half to get intensified flavor.
15. Strain the liquid, taste and adjust flavor as per your liking. Add minced orange peel if you wish to add more citrus flavor.
16. Cut the duck into 8 pieces and serve with gravy dip on the side.
17. Refrigerate duck fat in the fridge for further use.
Enjoy it!
