We're having duck for Christmas lunch

ucanchoose, Dec 23, 7:23am
what are your recommendations for the best seasoning/method to perfect roast duck?

timetable, Dec 23, 7:39am
you so have to go onto jamie or nigella or delia smith's web sites - each has lovely recipes!!enjoy!...

shop-a-holic, Dec 23, 9:58am
Roasting your duck is not that difficult.Ensure your oven is at a high heat. 400F ish.
Prick the duck skin all over, to ensure the fat will run out during the roasting process.That includes his fatty underarms, (by the wings); and kidney area (back of spine just before the parsons nose).
Place on a rack, within a roasting pan. This will capture all the drippnig fat for roasting the veges.

It is not like roasting one of our chickens.He has a comfort layer of lucious fat to keep him warm and toasty throughout the year. Cook him too long and too cool, he'll be quite fatty.

Cook him high...to ensure the fat drains, but ensure you have a pan to allow him to do that.

ucanchoose, Dec 24, 2:40am
thanks for the hints:-)I have decided to go with a Delia Smith recipe which is basically just roast duck with a marmalade and port glaze put on in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
I'll be roasting him in the pan that has a fitted rack so all the fat can drip out, and I'm looking forward to the duck fat roasted potatoes too, although we'll be having home-grown organic new potatoes with lunch (the roasties can wait till Boxing Day!).

olwen, Dec 24, 2:56am
I asked the person who gave me my duck.She raises and killed her own muscovy ducks.I googled and found that muscovy ducks are much leaner that pekin ducks, so you need to know the breed of your duck.

She says 2 hours on a low heat (140) on a rack with some liquid (stock or the like) underneath.Duck can be stuffed or not.Wrap the whole pan with foil (I may see if I can put a rack in my covered roasting dish).After that uncover it and turn the heat up to crisp it.

olwen, Dec 25, 5:41am
Just eaten the duck cooked as above,it was falling off the bones, crispy skin and wonderfully moist.I put tangelos (from the tree) and herbs in the cavity while cooking it.

ucanchoose, Dec 17, 8:44pm
I used a combination of all the hints and tips, as well as the marmalade and port glaze from Delia Smith, and it turned out BONZA!!!Well pleased with the result, and it was surprisingly easy too.Thanks to all the help and ideas:-)