With duck hunting season just around the corner I figured I would start cracking into a few recipes and what not…
This is a recipe for roast duck and has been developed and perfected over the years. This is my favorite way to eat mallards and I will be making a video on how to make your own plucker to take the hassle out of plucking ducks.
Preperation
– Prick a bunch of holes through the skin all over the breast and around the fatty areas on the legs. Be careful to just go through the skin and don’t prick into the meat underneath.
– Pour a kettle of boiling water over the duck, this will tighten the skin and melt the underlying fat.
– Stuff the duck with whatever takes your fancy. You can use traditional chicken stuffing
– A heap of fresh Thyme, an egg, bread cubes, salt and pepper and a pinch of brown sugar
or a couple of lemons (whole lemons or cut in half) or a couple of oranges or watercress or you can choose not to stuff your duck.
– Preheat oven to 200 Deg celcius.
– Cook for 1.5 hours total
– Start duck on back, after 30 minutes turn over then after another 30 minutes turn onto back again.
– Be sure to put a half inch of water in the pan to stop the duck drying out and place duck on a rack so it is not sitting in the water.
– Leave duck to sit for at least 10 minutes before carving
For a uniquely kiwi touch try adding a quarter cup of Kahikatea or Totara berries to the stuffing – these are very similar to juniper berries and will add a bloody delicious flavor to the duck
