How to you cook a whole duck?

[hayleylou]

DH has decided to have duck for Christmas dinner and has just thought he does not know how to cook it!! HELP!!!

Just as you would cook a whole chicken, bearing in mind that it is more fatty. I like to rub it with some salt, put half an orange in the cavity and put it in the oven. Cook the roasts with it - duck fat makes gorgeous rostis. Good luck!

meant roast potatoes.

i usualy put the duck on a rack inside the roasting tin so that the fat drips out, you also need to put holes through it with a skwer(sp? large pointy stick) so that all the fat doesnt end up inside. i also put a whole orange inside it. HTH

never thought about putting an orange in!!! Hopefully it will be yummy

if you make sure it is thoroughly dry before putting in the oven the skin will go really crispy and delicious.use a hairdryer if necessary.

all with trophywife. also, when you make gravy, put juice of 2 oranges and maybe a bit of lemon juice in it too.

we're having duck too - just picked it up from butchers - can't wait!

Or do it with morello cherries. Soak dried cherries in red wine. About 10 mins before duck is due out of oven, spread sieved morello cherry jam over duck, back in to roast. Can't remember if then heat up cherries on hob or put in with duck. Either way = delicious.

Remember that a duck won't feed as many as a chicken, but I guess you've thought of that. I cooked one on Sunday and it really only fed 2 adults and 2 kids. Delicious though.

do u actualyl serve duck up with gravy then? I've thought about doing it, but I've never tried duck outside of chinese recipes.

The cherry sauce replaces a gravy.

does cherry sauce go well with veg then? I'm not too sure about that, but would love to try cookign a duck.

Yes! But also good with just roasties and watercress. But that's not quite Christmassy.

thanks, I might try that.

I would certainly recommmend roasting on a rack, otherwise it will sit in a big pool of fat [bleurghh]

If you want to make duck gravy, take the liver and kidneys out the giblets and boil them in a pan of water with some sauted onion/shallot for ages (gets all the flavour out). Strain out all the lumpy bits. After the duck has cooked, drain all the fat out of the pan, but then add some plain flour and a little butter to the residue and cook, stirring all the time (I think this is called a roux?). Then add the water that you boiled everything in.... lovely duck gravy without the fat!

that sounds gorgeous! I'd have to make it wihtout dp watching tho, I think he'd have a fit if he saw me boiling the innards.

oooh! Forgot to say - Lingonberry Jam (from Ikea) goes really well with duck (and chicken)

Lol... as soon as you get them in the water, he'd never know with everthing else boiling around in it too!!

Trophywife, are you in the US?

Oh, and if you do try the roux thing, add the water a tiny bit at a time to the roux or you will end up with some water with lumps of flour floating around!

would it work with cornflour? That's how I do normal gravy.

be extremely careful not to overcook it or it will be leathery and horrid

and they are pretty sparse when it comes to servings, really only serve two

but delicious if skilfully prepared

Not as well.. the plain flour soaks up all the flavour from the roasting tin so increases the flavour, whereas cornflour would just clog on the bottom. It also has a flavour of its own as it browns as you cook it.

I use cornflour for normal gravy too btw but I am pretty sure it won't act like plain flour does in this instance!

okay, thanks.

I'mnow tryign to talk dp into it. He isn't very adventurous where meat is concerned! I might jsut cook it and put it in front of him and see.

I do nigellas way which is foolproof but more of a faff than plain roasting.

Put the duck in a big pan. cover with boiling salted water and simmer very very very gently for half an hour. Then take out, let it cool for a while (or you can do this the day before - brilliant) then roast it on a very high heat for half an hour.

you get wonderful moist flesh and fably crispy skin with this method.