A whole roasted duck is accompanied by apples, pears and potato wedges roasted in duck fat. Recipe below.
THE COLD WEATHER IS GETTING ITS CLAWS INTO US. We are going out in down jackets, scarves and boots. In a fit of self-pity I even have taken out my coziest wool hat—the little wool cloche from Wildhagen that I usually reserve for the most desperate sub-zero days. The weather is having hostile spasms. The other day, going from the American Rhythm Center to Terry’s office on foot, I got caught in a sleet storm—mean tiny ice pellets flinging themselves into my face at 50 mph. Reader, it hurt.
It’s easy to make all of this out as the horriblest thing ever. Oh, the hideous descent into winter, oh the moping about the house because it’s so impossible out, oh pity oh lackaday. On the other hand, we’re getting to wear clothes we haven’t seen for months (and that are much more interesting than stupid sundresses). And the onset of cold also opens the way for wonderful food—for baking and roasting and the sort of lazy Sunday simple, slow dinners that are so very satisfying.
When you are suffering from early onset of winter complicated by la tristesse du dimanche soir, this recipe is extra good. In fact, nothing could be easier. It has five ingredients—duck, apples, pears, salt and pepper. Six, if you add in a side of pan-roasted potatoes (yes, you do want to add them).
Now, roasting a chicken is certainly fine for a chilly Sunday afternoon. And soon enough, the entire nation will be wrestling with roasting turkeys. But roasting a duck is a whole other kind of wonderful. As we’ve said in an earlier post, the flavor is richer, meatier and more intense than chicken. Even duck breasts, while considered “white meat,” are darker than chicken or turkey. According to the USDA, it’s because they are birds of flight, and “more oxygen is needed by muscles doing work, and the oxygen is delivered to those muscles by the red cells in the blood.”
This being a duck, it will produce plenty of fat as it roasts. Don’t discard it! You will be using some of it to prepare the fruit and the potatoes. The rest you should save, in your fridge, as if it were gold. If you have duck fat, you can pan roast duck fat potatoes any time.
Roast Duck with Apples, Pears and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 6-pound duck
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eating apples (see Kitchen Notes for apple and pear choices)
- 4 firm-ripe pears
- 4 Yukon Gold potatoes cut into long wedges (for the optional side)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300ºF. Pat the duck dry. Discard any loose fat from the cavity. Prick the duck all over with the tip of a sharp little knife—go in at an acute angle; the idea is to pierce only the skin and not the meat beneath. Cap the feet with foil to avoid burning. Either tuck the wingtips into the wing or truss the wings with kitchen twine. Salt inside and out and place it breast down on a rack in a roasting pan. Put the pan in the oven.
- Every now and then, when you happen to be passing by, open the oven and prick the duck some more. After an hour or so, take the pan out of the oven. Pour off the duck fat into a bowl. Don’t forget to prick the duck some more. Put the pan back in the oven.
- Prepare the apples and pears. Cut a ring around each one so that it doesn’t explode in the oven. Set in a glass baking dish and brush with some of the reserved duck fat.
- After another 45 minutes or so, take the roasting pan out of the oven. Put the baking dish with the apples and pears in the oven and shut the door.
- Transfer duck to a holding plate. Take the rack out of the pan and pour off more duck fat. Poke the duck some more, turn it over breast side up and set it directly in the bottom of the pan.
- Prepare the potatoes. Toss the potato wedges with a bit of the reserved duck fat—you just want to barely coat them. Season with salt and pepper and arrange them around the duck. Return the pan to the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Check the potatoes—they should be just fork tender and starting to turn golden (see Kitchen Notes) and the duck should look beautifully golden too. The apples and pears should be slightly browned and nicely tender. Take the duck out of the oven and let it rest a few minutes before you carve it. Turn off the oven, leaving the fruit in the oven until you are ready to start serving in a few minutes.
- Arrange the duck on a platter, heap the potatoes in their own serving dish, then arrange the fruit on a serving plate and bring it all to the table. We also served this with a side of spinach sautéed with garlic; you could serve a big salad of bitter greens or a Brussels Sprouts Salad with Blue Cheese or just throw cardiovascular caution to the icy, howling winds and have Terry’s Mustard-Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.
Duck fat and potatoes is one of the best food combos in the world. Magic. We roasted a duck last winter for the first time in years. Such a wonderful dish! We’ll be doing at least one a year — terrific flavor. We also love duck breasts — such flavor bang for the buck. Anyway, super recipe — thanks.
We don’t have duck very often, usually when a friend has gone duck hunting. There is a lot where we live. I’ve noticed lately some grocery stores are selling jarred duck fat. That seems new. For confit maybe??
Just wanted to give cheers for the last recipe you linked to – the braised duck legs with veggies. That’s the recipe that made me fall in love with y’all! (So easy a caveperson could do it – but before that never had.)
John, oh, yes, it is just terrific and just has to be part of the cycle of the seasons.
Randi, how big are the jars? Because I am thinking the answer is: for everything! Roasting veggies, making confit, frying potatoes, sealing the top of a pâté. My mother used to have it on rye bread, sometimes, instead of butter. Now that’s an Old World snack from another time. P.S. We love wood duck, pls send any extras post haste.
Aw, Anita, Alley Oop and Oola are glad you stuck around.
And let me chime in here to say to Randi that you could also sauté sliced pears or apples in the duck fat for a quicker and possibly even duckier version of the roasted ones in this recipe. Season them with salt and pepper and you’ve got a wonderful savory/sweet side.
Thanks, Anita! I think you might also like the Chinese Duck Pasta with Mushrooms. In fact, I’ve been thinking about making the duck legs for this recipe and serving them as is, instead of shredding them to become part of the pasta dish.
My husband loves duck but I have always been afraid to try it because I’m always worried it’s going to be tough. You say its ridiculously easy! Really???
YES! Really, try it!
And even easier are the duck breast recipe and the duck leg recipe above. Mmmmmmmmm
If I where to choose between chicken or duck meat, I’d rather choose duck meat. Chicken meat is healthy, that’s a fact, but duck meat also have benefits that are very important. Duck meat is a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium that helps the body in so many ways. It is also a source of selenium an antioxidants that helps to protect cells from free radicals. I also love duck as it has the versatility to be prepared to variety of dishes. Btw, Thanks for this =)
Ok! We’re doing it! We’re roasting a duck for Christmas dinner! >>crosses fingers<<
Do it! It will be great! Don’t forget to save the fat for roasting potatoes!!!!
Marion, it came out just like it was supposed to. Super easy! My husband loved it. We made the fruit and potatoes as well , and served it with some duck fat sauteed brussels sprouts. It was only when my husband was carving it that I remembered I don’t really like duck. Haha, oh well. Taking one for the team I suppose.
Dr M, I am so glad you tried it and that your husband loved it. And I hope you at least liked it? Also, duck fat sauteed brussels sprouts, that is genius. Now I have to roast another duck to try that.