Duck meat preparations are found in almost all cuisines of the world. While all duck dishes make for a tasty treat, roasted duck is a mouth watering main course that can leave you with a life-ever taste. It looks complicated to prepare but it, really, is not. It is the taste of duck meat and the technique of roasting that creates the magic. So, are you game for making this dish? Here is a basic guide that will help you accomplish the task of roasting a duck. Go on.
Complexity Level: Moderate
Time Required: 2 hours
Resources Required:
1. Whole duck
2. Salt and pepper to taste
3. Freshly extracted juice of lime
Instructions:
1. Choose and prep
For roasting duck, the best option is to go with a whole duckling, though you can roast duck legs or duck breast alone too. Typically, you would have to go with the best frozen whole duckling that your store might have. Choose a medium-sized whole duckling that will comfortably fit in your oven rack. Store bought duck will need to be thawed before you can start prepping it. Once thawed, take a fork and lightly prick the skin (just the skin and not into the flesh) all over in an evenly-distanced manner. If you are uncomfortable with fatty meat, you will want to trim the tail and the wings, but if you prefer their yummy taste, don’t cut the tail and wings.
2. Season
Take some amount of salt and pepper and rub it all over the duck, and inside it, making sure every part of it is covered. Now, drizzle lime juice all over the duck, letting as much of it seep into the skin as possible.
3. Rack
Preheat oven to 325/160 (Gas Mark 3) for 10 minutes, while you place the duck, keep the breast side up on the rack. Put it in the preheated oven. Place a deep tray below the rack to catch the rendered fat. If you like your duck frying in rendered fat, you can use a baking tray to place the duck inside, instead of a rack. Let it roast for 2 hours, keep turning it carefully once after one and half hours. Gently put a knife through and the if the skin is nicely crisped, turn the oven off, and take the duck out. Let it rest for about five to ten minutes.
4. Carve
Lay the roasted duck breast down on a cutting board. Firmly hold the roasted duck down with a fork and cut it lengthwise into two along the back bone. Turn the pieces over on to their back. Place your knife where you think the leg joint is, and feel your way by pressing the knife into the joint. Apply pressure with your knife in a circular fashion around the joint so that the joint itself guides your cut. Without removing your knife, apply sideways pressure to pull the leg meat away from the body. Do the same for the wing, reaching into the base of the wing, and letting the joint guide your cut. Fork the breast down firmly and make a vertical cut right along the breast bone. Tilt the knife and fillet out the breast meat.
5. Serve
Arrange the pieces on a serving plate. Throw in some color with boiled peas, braised carrots, french beans, cocktail sausages, and of course, large pieces of potato fried in the rendered duck fat. Sprinkle some freshly ground pepper over it all and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What wine goes well with roast duck?
Given the high fat content of duck meat, full bodied and mature red wines pair the best with a roast. You can try the fuller and more mature Bordeaux’s or Burgundy, or sweet and spicy wines like Rioja or Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Quick Tips:
- Duck renders out much of its weight and volume during cooking, yielding much less meat than a similar sized chicken. To serve 6-8 people, go for two or three whole ducks.
- Stuffings are a great hit, but it is best advised to cook the stuffing outside the duck and then stuff them in. You can cook them in the rendering fat, letting their aromas and flavors blend with that of the duck fat.
Things to Watch Out For:
Be cautious when turning the duck or taking it out of the oven. Since the fat under the skin renders, it can spill and injure you badly. Use oven mitts and a long fork to handle the hot duck.
