A roast wild duck for two with a sharp fruit sauce.
The recipe
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Place the mallard on a chopping board, then, using strong kitchen scissors or a heavy knife, cut the bird down its backbone into 2 halves. Place the halves side by side in a roasting tin, skin side up, trickle over a little oil, tuck in a small handful of thyme branches, and roast for 35 minutes.
While the bird roasts, cut 2 large Bramley or other sharp apples into segments, discarding the cores as you go. You don’t need to peel them. Put the apple in a saucepan, squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and add 2 tbsp of water. Place the pan over a moderate heat and leave to simmer, covered with a lid, for about 10 minutes, until they are completely soft and fluffy.
Tip 150g of blueberries into the apples then mash with a fork, so the juice from the berries ripples through the apples.
Serve the duck with the apple and blueberry sauce. Enough for 2.
The trick
Baste the duck a couple of times as it roasts (there is less fat on a mallard than the average duck so it will appreciate this). I find it best to make the apple sauce with a sharp variety, such as a Bramley or a Granny Smith. You need the acidity to balance the sweet fattiness of the duck.
The twist
You could use purple figs instead of the apple sauce. Slice each one in half (you’ll need 2 per person) then toss them in a little maple syrup or honey and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add a few thyme leaves, salt and pepper, then the figs to the roasting bird about 10 minutes before it is due to be ready.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater