Crispy Whole Roast Duck Recipes

CRISPY WHOLE ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Completely defrost the duck in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, if using frozen. Once defrosted, rinse and pat dry. For best results, let the duck sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. This will help to dry and crisp the skin.
• Use a sharp knife to score the skin on the duck's breast in a diamond pattern, trying to cut only the skin without reaching the breast meat below. Cut off excess fat and poke the bird all over with a knife. Only prick the skin, don't hit the meat.
• Season the duck all over with salt, including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with garlic, shallots, lemon, apple and prunes. Use 2-3 toothpicks to sew the skin around the cavity opening tightly together, to keep the inside moist during roasting. Cross the legs and tie them together with a cooking twine. Fold the wings under the duck.
• Place the bird on the roasting pan and cook at 300 F for 1 hour, breast side up. After 1 hour, remove the bird and prick the skin all over again. Flip the duck breast side down and roast for another hour. Continue doing this process of poking and flipping the bird every hour for 3 hours.
• Prepare the glaze by combining the glaze ingredients in a medium pan. Simmer until thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• After 3 hours, remove the duck from the oven, poke once more, turn up heat to 400 F and blast for 15 minutes, breast side up. Then brush with glaze and finish for another 5-7 minutes.
• Rest. Carve. Enjoy!

CRISPY ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Remove the duck's giblets and wash them. Cut off any greenish parts from the livers and discard, then roughly chop the rest. Quarter the crops (the gullet), slicing any very red flesh away from the white sinew, which should be discarded. Put all bits and pieces into a large roasting tin.
• Cut off the parson's nose from each duck and add to the tin. Remove the wings: hold and pull on a wing, turning the skin back so you can see inside to where the wing is attached to the shoulder bone. Cut between the bones to release the wing, then cut around it from the skin side to remove it. Repeat with all wings and add them to the tin.
• Turn one of the ducks on to its breast. Cut down each side of the backbone, using a very sharp, sturdy kitchen knife and/or game scissors. Remove the backbone, then turn the duck the other way up and cut down each side of the breastbone, keeping the blade close to the bone so you don't cut away any breast meat. Put all the bones into the tin and repeat with the other ducks.
• Remove any lumps of fat from inside the duck and set aside. Cut off any flappy bits of skin and discard. Wash the duck halves then pat very dry. Prick the skin all over, especially the thick, fatty areas, then sprinkle with fine sea salt.
• Preheat the oven to 230C/Gas 8/fan oven 210C. Arrange the duck halves skin-side up on a rack set inside a large roasting tin. Roast for 11⁄4-11⁄2 hours, or until the skin is crisp and dark golden. You will need to drain off the fat that accumulates once or twice: pour it straight into the tin if you're going to roast potatoes, otherwise into a heatproof bowl.
• Leave the duck to rest for 10-15 minutes, serve with the gravy and veg (see 'Goes well with' recipes, right).

CRISP ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• If necessary, cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse duck inside and out. Prick skin all over with a sharp fork. Fold neck skin under body, then put duck, breast side up, on a rack in a 13- by 9- by 3-inch roasting pan.
• Pour boiling-hot water over duck to tighten skin.
• Cool duck, then pour out any water from cavity into pan.
• Pat duck dry inside and out, reserving water in pan, then rub duck inside and out with kosher salt and pepper.
• Roast duck, breast side up, 45 minutes, then remove from oven.
• Turn duck over using 2 wooden spoons, and roast 45 minutes more.
• Turn duck over again (breast side up), tilting duck to drain any liquid from cavity into pan. Continue to roast duck until skin is brown and crisp, about 45 minutes more (total roasting time: about 2 1/4 hours).
• Tilt duck to drain any more liquid from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Discard liquid in roasting pan.

CRISPY ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Trim ducks: with a sharp knife, cut away excess fat and skin from both ends of ducks. (Render fat for another use or discard.)
• Salt cavity of each duck. Prick each duck all over with a fork, about 30 times. Place them on a rack set in a large roasting pan and roast 1 hour. Prick ducks all over and turn on one side. Repeat pricking ducks all over and turn onto second side. Repeat two more times. After four hours, increase heat to 350 degrees F.
• Continue to roast 30 to 90 minutes more, pricking and turning once, according to taste: 1) For very juicy, slightly crisp ducks: Roast 15 minutes, prick and turn, and roast 15 minutes more. 2) For juicy, crisp ducks: Roast 30 minutes, prick and turn, and roast 30 minutes more. 3) For slightly drier, very crisp ducks: Roast 45 minutes, prick and turn, and roast 45 minutes more.
• Remove ducks to a carving board and let them sit 15 minutes, loosely covered. Simply cut ducks in half and serve half a duck per person; or carefully remove breast and legs from bone, making sure to keep skin intact, and cut them into 1/2-inch wide pieces. Generously season with salt and pepper before serving.

CRISPY ROAST DUCK RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 F.
• Take the duck out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before preparing it.
• Cut the baby potatoes, the shallots, three figs, and three pears in half. Arrange them on an oiled baking sheet. If you would like the fruit to have grill marks, insert a baking rack into a second baking sheet, and lay the figs and pears on top. Put the tray in the oven and roast 30 minutes while you prepare the duck and fruit stuffing.
• Melt the butter, and add it to a mixing bowl. Mix in the juice of 1 ½ lemons and 1 tablespoon of honey.
• Cut the remaining figs and pears and half a lemon into eighths, and add them to the lemon-butter mixture.
• Using a sharp knife, score the duck's skin in a crosshatch pattern. Avoid cutting into the duck's meat.
• Generously season the duck inside and out with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Trim any excess fat around the duck's cavity. Stuff the duck's cavity with the fruit stuffing, then pour in the lemon juice from the bowl.
• Criss-cross the duck's legs, and secure with kitchen twine. Place the duck breast-side up on a rack inside of a roasting pan.
• Put the duck into the preheated oven, and roast for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 300 degrees, and roast the duck for 50 minutes.
• Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the duck breast-side up, and roast 30 minutes. Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast 30 minutes.
• While the duck is roasting, combine the juice of 2 lemons, 4 tablespoons of honey, and the fresh thyme in a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the thyme turns brown. Remove the thyme, lower the heat, and simmer until thickened.
• Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast 30 minutes. Take the duck out of the oven, and brush the breasts with the lemon-honey-thyme glaze.
• Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees, and roast the duck a final 15 minutes. Watch the duck carefully so the glaze doesn't burn.
• Take the duck out of the oven, and transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest 15 minutes before carving.
• While the duck is resting, put the potatoes, shallots, figs, and pears back in the oven to reheat.
• Cut up or carve the duck, and serve with the fruit stuffing, potatoes, shallots, figs, and pears.

​​CRISP ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Bring a full kettle or medium pot of water to a boil (at least 2 quarts).
• Meanwhile, remove giblets and neck from the duck cavity and reserve for another use. Trim any excess fat from around the duck cavity and the neck. Place duck, breast side up, on a rack in the sink. Pour half of the boiling water all over the top of the duck to tighten the skin. Flip the bird and pour remaining boiling water over the back.
• Once the duck is cool enough to handle, using the tip of a very sharp paring knife, prick duck skin all over to help release the fat, especially where the skin is thickest, and be careful not to pierce the meat. It can be helpful to hold the knife nearly parallel to the bird. After piercing the skin, use the knife blade to score the duck breast in a crosshatch pattern (making deep cuts into the skin only, and not into the breast meat). Flip the bird and score the back as well (you don't need to prick the back). You may need to sharpen your knife along the way, as it's much easier to make clean cuts into the skin with a sharp knife. Using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, thoroughly pat duck dry, including inside the cavity.
• Season the duck all over, including cavity, with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, chopped herbs, citrus zest and coriander, if using, and make a paste. Rub garlic paste all over duck, inside and out. Place duck, breast side up, on rack in a roasting pan, stuff cavity with herb sprigs, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• When it's time to cook the bird, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully prick duck skin all over the top of the bird using a sharp paring knife. (You don't need to prick the back of the duck.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until skin is golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature at thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Using tongs, gently tip duck to drain any liquid from the cavity. Transfer bird to cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve.