Getting duck skin super crisp

[notafanofwinter]

We have a Mallard hanging in our shed. Crispy duck like our takeaway springs to mind.
But my roast duck is usually fatty and not very crispy.
I'm sure I read something about drying with a hairdryer
Any tips?

You need to render some of the fat out of the skin before roasting. One way - that I have never tried - is to prick skin all over then pour a couple of kettles of boiling water over the bird then dry ver well before roasting. The hairdrier comes in as it can dry and, if it runs hot, even melt some more fat out. An easier alternative that I use is to prick all over then pop breast side down in a frying pan on medium heat to render fat out, draining off fat as it runs out do you dont dry the bird out. You'll be able to get fat out of breasts and accessible bits of legs this way so that it roasts up crisp. It will need less roasting time as a consequence and you need to do this rendering just before roasting - not a good idea to warm uo this way and then roast later.

Thanks so much. I've tried the frying method before so will try the pricking, boiling water and hairdryer and report back.

Delia Smith roast duck method from years ago. Always works.

Presumably your mallard was wild? It won't be nearly as fatty or big as a pampered farmed bird. It'll be a tiny muscly thing instead. You need recipes specifically for wild duck or mallard or you will have burnt it to a cinder

yes wild. It's been plucked this morning and is tiny. About the size of a pheasant.

Then you need to look at mallard recipes, definitely not duck ones. No idea if you can do crispy duck like takeaway with it, probably not as it would be a terrible waste. It will be very gamey, not like farmed duck at all.

I boil for 30 min take out, drain and pat dry the riast at the hottest setting for 30 min for crispy duck