Duck is expensive protein but you can get a lot out of buying a whole bird. For this reason I usually only cook duck once or twice per year (it is a Valentine's Day tradition) but you can get quite a bit of value out of buying a whole duck. The leftover skin, bones and fat can and most definitely should be repurposed to make a fantastic duck stock (recipe here) and the thick layer of fat that will form on the stock when you freeze it can be used in place of oil or butter to fry or flavor other dishes (especially potato dishes). Frozen ducks usually come with the organs which can be fried up as tasty snacks or turned into various other dishes. I eat the kidneys, heart and liver gently pan-fried but leave the gizzards and neck for soup.
Duck can be hard to find but not impossible. I usually find one or two ducks hanging out in the frozen poultry section of my local grocers but around the holidays it gets more difficult to track down. Some high end grocers will carry duck breasts (and they are often quite large breasts) but those are best pan fried rather than roasted. If you have Asian grocers available then that is also a good place to check. If you plan on cooking duck then you should start checking grocers weeks in advance to make sure you have one available.
Roasting a whole duck is not particularly difficult. Like any other poultry, you really only need to worry about not overcooking it. It is more forgiving than most birds because the thick fat layer helps avoid overcooking and drying it out but you still want to be vigilant in not overcooking it. One unique trick to roasting duck is dealing with the thick layer of fat. You want to score or prick the fat (but not into the meat) to expose it under the skin and make sure it leaks out as it renders rather than cooking into the meat which can produce a greasy meat. This recipe in particular is light on ingredients and technique so it is approachable even for a new home cook.
Roasted Duck with Maple Rosemary Glaze
Equipment:
- Cake pan large enough to fit duck (9x13 is usually a good size)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board
- Carving knife
- Foil (optional)
- Thermometer (optional but recommended)
- Kitchen timer
- Oven
- Stove
- Saucepan
- Kitchen twine
Ingredients:
- 1 5-5.5 pound duck (can do larger if that is what is available but adjust other ingredients accordingly)
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 apple chopped (basic red apple is fine)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, diced
- Extra rosemary sprigs (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Recipe:
- Thaw duck overnight.
- If duck is bought with innards and/or sauce packet, remove everything from duck. Feel free to use these items elsewhere or save for later.
- Wash duck thoroughly. Make sure there is no frozen portions inside. If so, run lukewarm water through the duck until thawed.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Chop vegetables and assemble other ingredients.
- Trim excess skin around the neck cavity leaving an inch or two to fold under duck and close the neck cavity. Discard removed skin.
- Score or prick the skin and fat all over, being careful not to cut into the meat.
- Stuff body with chopped onion and apple. If you have extra rosemary springs then you can add one or two to the cavity with the onion and apple.
- Fold the tail up and bind the legs together with twine to seal the cavity shut.
- Place duck in cake pan. If you prefer, you can line the cake pan with foil to make clean up easier. If you want even more rosemary flavor then you can place extra rosemary springs beside the duck.
- In saucepan combine the remaining ingredients except the extra rosemary sprigs and bring to quick boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 5-10 minutes until glaze thickens.
- Pour enough glaze on the duck to coat it. Make sure the duck is fully coated.
- Roast for approximately 30 minutes per pound. After one hour, add the remaining glaze to the duck and return to the oven for continued roasting.
- Check temperature at the thigh. At 175F the duck is done cooking.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Remove the onion and apple.
- Carve the duck. The breasts are usually the best parts so be careful to remove each breast in its entirety.
- Remaining pan drippings, bones and fat should be used to make stock after the meal.
Optional alterations:
- You can use lite maple syrup in place of regular maple syrup. It's usually made from corn syrup and flavored with fenugreek, which has a maple flavor. The corn syrup will caramelize just the same and the maple flavor will stay intact. It's not as good but it is a way to knock off some of the sugar content and some of the calories.
- You can add other fruit or vegetables to the body cavity. Orange is a suitable fruit. I would stick with other vegetables similar to onions, such as leeks and shallot. You can use red or yellow onion instead of white onion. Stick with flavors complimentary to rosemary and maple.
- You can also add other herbs to round out the herb flavor. Typical poultry herbs like sage and parsley work although the distinct rosemary flavor is my preference.
Serving suggestions:
- One duck is supposed to be four servings but since I rarely cook duck we tend to eat most of the meat between my wife and I so we usually get 3-4 servings depending on the duck. So plan accordingly for your diners.
- My preference is to serve this dish with a risotto. I like lemon risotto to cut the sweetness with some acidity but an earthy risotto or fall/winter vegetable risotto would be good.
- Roasted potato, cauliflower puree, or other root vegetable dishes are also good starch sides if you want to stay away from rice or grain. Potato is probably the standard side dish for duck but don't feel like you have to commit to potato.
- Green vegetables usually work well, such as green beans, asparagus or blanched greens.
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