Roast duck with stuffing
It would not be Christmas in my house without roasted duck. This is our family recipe, though I have made one change by adding thyme to the stuffing. Each year, when I roast the duck in the oven, a wonderful smell fills my kitchen, bringing back memories of previous Christmases. When we are eating it, we always discuss whether this is the best duck that we have ever had.
Duck Gravy
A good gravy makes it all come together. Preparing it is a little like getting dressed in winter – it’s about adding flavour layer by layer. For a great recipe you can adjust to taste, visit: houseandgarden.co.uk/recipe/duck-gravy.
Ingredients
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the stuffing
Step 1
Heat the oven to mark 5/190°C/fan oven 170°C. Remove the giblets from the duck and any fat from the inside of the cavity. (You can reserve this for the braised red cabbage recipe, if you wish). Dry the inside cavity with kitchen towel.
Step 2
Cut the apples into chunks around 2cm square. Mix with the shallot, prunes and thyme, and season with 10g sea salt and 1tbsp freshly ground black pepper. Put the stuffing into the duck and sew up or close the cavity with trussing needles or skewers.
Step 3
Rub the front and back of the duck with some more salt and pepper, and place it, with the breast down, on a wire rack.
Step 4
Transfer the rack and duck to the oven, with a baking tray placed underneath it to collect the fat; add a little water to the tray, so that the dripping fat does not burn.
Step 5
Roast for 45 minutes, then turn the duck round – so the breast is facing up – and roast for another hour and 45 minutes. Check the leg joint with a thermometer –it will be 75°C if done; if not, roast for an additional 10 minutes and check again. Allow the meat to rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving.
