Roasted Duck and Vegetables

roastduckvegetables One of the great things about this dish is the vegetables are cooked in the same dish as the duck itself, so to a point that's all you need. However since this is kind of an indulgent meal, why not add a little more?

We had this with our favourite rutabaga, date and bacon stuffing and some cranberry sauce. The sauce is a great pairing with roast duck, not just turkey. While duck is far from as dry, the breast meat can sometimes benefit from a little sauce, plus it tastes great anyway.

Given the richness of the meat and vegetables, a salad would also be great alongside to balance things out. Something simple, like my spinach pomegranate salad would be perfect (plus the citrus dressing would go well with the duck).

1 (5-6 lb) whole Long Island/Peking duck (2.25-2.75 kg)
2 cups water, boiling (480 mL)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
4 medium potatoes
2 medium carrots
1 large parsnip

Prepare the Duck:
Completely defrost the duck in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if using a frozen duck, then remove giblets and neck. Rinse well, inside and out, with cold water and pat completely dry using paper towels. Let the duck sit out on the counter for 30 minutes to come up in temperature a bit.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7). Set the racks so that you have enough space in the middle of the oven for your roasting pan with a rack to sit in with the duck on top.

Clean out the duck completely and remove any excess far around the neck etc. Prick the skin all over with a fork (this helps the fat to drain as it cooks and makes the skin crisper).

Pour the boiling water over the duck, some on each side, with the duck sitting in the rack over a roasting pan. It will cause the skin to change colour slightly and tighten up - this too helps it crisp. Pour any water held in the cavity into the pan and pat the duck dry all over. Don't throw away the water in the pan - leave it to steam the duck as it cooks initially.

Rub salt and pepper all over the duck's skin, particularly the breast.

Turn the duck breast side up, then roast in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes (this isn't the full cook, just when you turn).

After the first 45 minutes, put a wooden spoon into the neck space (the handle) and another, the other way round, inside the main cavity and carefully drain out the cavity into the baking pan. Turn the duck over to be back up then put back in the oven.

As the duck is cooking, peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks. After the duck has cooked around 20-30 minutes on the second side, carefully add the potatoes and carrots into the fat drippings below the rack. Spoon a little of the fat over the top of the vegetables then return the pan to the oven.

Once the duck has been in for 45 minutes on the second side (so 1½ hours cooking), remove from the oven and turn again back to breast side up. Return to the oven for a final 45 minutes (giving 2¼ hours total).

Peel the parsnip and cut into large chunks. Around 30 minutes before the end of cooking (so once it has been in for 15 minutes after the last turn), carefully turn the potatoes and carrots in the bottom of the pan and add the parsnips. Return to the oven for the remaining 30 minutes, then take out of the oven. Remove the vegetables and keep warm while the duck rests around 5-10 minutes before you carve it.

Remove the vegetables, draining them as you do, and keep warm. Drain any liquid from the inside of the duck and transfer it to a cutting board to rest around 5-10 minutes before you carve it.

Cook's Notes:

You can change the vegetables to what you have or prefer, but keep in mind how firm they are and how fast they will cook to guide when you add them.

In general, roast the duck uncovered to allow the skin to crisp up. However if you find it is getting overly dark looking earlier on, you can cover for part of the time. Just allow it to be uncovered for at least the last 20 minutes to help it crisp before serving.