Ideas for a whole duck? (Gluten free)

[Mynamegone]

Any thoughts would be amazing as I normally just roast the legs but thought I’d branch out! We have lots of plums and I have a feeling that goes well? Would you just roast it as is?

Have you considered the Portuguese dish arroz de pato (literally, "duck rice")? There are various recipes available in English with a simple google search. Rice of course is naturally gluten free and if you use authentic chouriço or chorizo then it should be gluten free, but check.

Traditional recipes call for the whole duck to be boiled in red wine and then the meat removed from the carcass, but I tend to roast it on a rack first to cook out the fat which is then kept for roasting potatoes etc. I then remove the legs and save them for a cassoulet, and remove the rest of the meat from the bone and make a stock (with water, not wine!) with the carcass separately. This way, one duck stretches out across two dishes, in addition to the fat which will keep for months in the fridge if properly covered.

The traditional rice variety is carolino which is quite hard to find in the UK outside of Portuguese shops. Basmati works fine as a substitute.

Sorry, DC whacked my hand and posted too soon.

Or you could use the plums to make hoisin sauce and have a Chinese-inspired duck dish. I wouldn't bother, I have never in 20 years made one worth the effort next to the Peking crispy duck kits you can buy from the supermarket.

Perhaps an idea for the leftovers rather than a main meal but we are gluten free and use blue dragon spring roll wrappers (rice based) to make duck spring rolls with.

Otherwise I would just roast the duck whole with plenty of salt over the top (score the skin with duck) with a few plums chopped up into chunks, a veg or chicken stock cube, a glug of red wine, enough water to cover the plums and a quartered shallot.

I would have it with crispy roast potatoes with a bit of cumin sprinkled over and lots of green veg.

When you take the duck out to rest pour all of the juices and plums/onions out into a pan a boil to reduce it down. Add small nob of butter and some cornflour mixed with cold water to thicken to a gravy consistency. Taste to check it doesn't need a bit more salt.

You are so helpful - such good ideas here and clearly some extremely good cooks! Huge thanks

I do a lovely roast duck salad.

Roast the duck, cool it and shred it.

Make a hoisin dressing - I use hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil - I’m not sure of amounts, I taste as I go, until I have a sharp-sweet salad dressing.

On a base of rocket, I scatter the shredded duck, orange segments, toasted pine nuts and croutons, then drizzle on the dressing.

I use hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil - I’m not sure of amounts, I taste as I go, until I have a sharp-sweet salad dressing

Unfortunately most shop bought hoisin sauces aren't gluten free and most soy sauce isn't gluten free.

I often make my own hoisin sauce using an adapted version of BBC recipe but it needs lots of different ingredients which if OP doesn't do a lot of that type of cooking she might not have. However recipe is below and it is extremely tasty with shredded duck and spring onions in whatever spring roll/gf wrap etc that you prefer.

4 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp rice wine vinegar (although I usually use cider vinegar or white vinegar)
1 garlic clove, finely crushed (I use 1 cube of frozen garlic)
2 tsp sesame oil
⅛ tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp of Chinese 5 spice (check it's gluten free, most are)

Mix the whole lot in a microwaveable mug and then nuke it in the microwave until it's thickened (will thicken more as it cools but it needs to be bubbling when it comes out of the microwave - usually about 3 mins but I do it a minute at a time).

If I'm doing duck specifically for shredded duck then I usually rub Chinese five spice and salt onto the skin before cooking.

That sounds delicious - thank you, @pastabest!

I'd just do a normal roast and have a plum crumble for dessert.

Wow I think I may end up buying more ducks at this rate . The salad sounds so good too. I got it on offer at Sainsburies !

MN will tell you to get your ducks in a row.