Zesty Roast Duck

Zesty Roast Duck

By far, duck is one of the richest birds you’ll ever try. A slow roast and then a quick broil will give you delicious, moist meat and scrumptious crispy skin.

If you’ve never cooked duck before, there are a few things you need to do differently than you would a chicken or turkey. Since duck is all dark meat and it has a very thick layer of fat under the skin, it needs a little TLC.

Many recipes out there will tell you to score the skin over the meat, which would be necessary if you were just cooking legs or breasts that were already cut up because you’ll be cooking them faster.

I feel like that isn’t necessary when you’re roasting a whole bird. I wanted to lock all the juices in and keep everything moist. The roasting time is a bit long and scoring the skin would render the fat out but it may dry the meat inside at the same time.

To prepare the duck for roasting, simply give it a quick rinse under some cold water. Rinse the cavity out as well and dry the whole thing with paper towels, inside and out.

For aromatics and a wonderful zesty sauce, fill the cavity with some orange, lime, onion, jalapeno, garlic, celery and lemon grass. Secure everything with toothpicks or skewers.

Be careful not to over fill the cavity because it will cause uneven cooking. Just put enough of the aromatics in to fill the bird loosely. The rest of the aromatics can go into the roasting pan with some water and the juices from the bird as it’s cooking.

Rub a little oil on the outside of the duck and season with salt and pepper. Place the bird on a cooking rack, breast side down to elevate it above the aromatics and give the leg and thigh meat more cooking time.

Half way through the cooking time, turn the bird over so that the breast side is up.

I had a six pound bird and the total roasting time was 2 hours.

To crisp the skin up at the end, take the bird out of the roasting pan along with the cooking rack. Place the whole thing on a foil lined baking sheet and move your oven rack to a higher position. Broil the bird on high about 3 to 4 inches from the heating element. 4 to 5 minutes will do. You want the skin to be golden brown and the broiler will make that happen fast.

Cover the bird lightly with foil and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Otherwise, you’ll lose precious juices.

While you’re waiting for the bird to rest, use the liquid and aromatics from the pan to make a sauce. Place them in a pan over med/hi heat and boil until reduced by a third. This only takes 10 minutes or so.

Strain the liquid and return to the pan. Add a few seasonings (included in the recipe print out below) to spruce it up and thicken it with a corn starch and water slurry.

Finally, carve the duck and serve with the sauce. Be sure to save the carcass because that will make a beautiful stock and give you some extra duck fat to use for other recipes. Duck fat is like gold in the cooking world!

This was our third time having this recipe. My crew loves the flavor and texture of the duck meat and skin. The sauce is absolutely delightful, too!

I’m always on the lookout for duck because it is more expensive than chicken or turkey. It’s a real treat when we do have it and I’m pretty sure you’ll think so once you have a taste.

Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. We’d love to hear from you!

Have a beautiful day and as always, keep it delicious!

Till next time ~ much love, Connie