Roast Duck

We absolutely adore roast duck, and if you’ve ever enjoyed duck, we’re guessing you do too. Many people have enjoyed the combination of crispy skin and red-meat flavor at restaurants and are intimidated to try it at home. Don’t be scared to cook a duck – you can do it! Cooking a roast duck does take a few more steps than roasting a chicken, but it’s easy, and we are here to walk you through the process.

Since ducks are waterfowl, they have a prominent layer of fat underneath their skin. This fat is incredibly flavorful, but you need to make sure to cook it completely (or render it) while you roast the duck. By pricking the duck skin and then pouring boiling hot water over the skin, you’ll be able to enjoy perfectly crispy skin and rendered fat.

While ducks are often hunted, we do not sell wild ducks. We sell farm raised White Pekin ducks from Maple Leaf Farms. These ducks have a less “gamey” flavor than the Mallard ducks that are commonly hunted, and are also more tender than their wild cousins. We love working with this family-owned Midwestern company that values quality and humanely raised ducks!

Speaking of that fat, it is valuable! People (like us) pay good money for duck fat because it is so flavorful and has a high smoke point. You can make incredible roasted potatoes with duck fat or use it in place of any other cooking oil. We recommend roasting your duck in a rack over a roasting pan to help in collecting the fat that cooks out of your roast duck. Trust us, you’ll be grateful you saved it!

We are seasoning our roast duck super simply with just salt and pepper. There are so many different ways you can season your duck and plenty of recipes that feature more complex seasonings. Here are a few suggestions for alternative seasoning combinations:

• Many ducks come with an orange sauce seasoning package. Orange + duck = delicious. You can use a orange seasoning packet, or rub orange zest on the duck to add this classic flavor combination.
• Various Chinese cuisines often feature duck as a prominent ingredient. I like to occasionally season my duck with a Chinese Five Spice rub to bring aromatic complexity and savoriness to the duck.
• You can add to the salt and pepper base by using a simple dried herb blend, or a little bit of garlic powder – whatever tastes good to you!

Once cooked, ducks can be carved and served like other poultry. If you think taking on cooking a whole duck may be too much for you, you can always purchase just a duck breast and follow this recipe to have a delicious meal of duck for 2.

Enough said – on to the roast duck recipe!