English Roast Duck
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Select a young, fat duck with soft lower legs and webbing.
Singe and draw the duck like a chicken.
Wipe the duck inside and out with a damp cloth, then weigh the duck.
Fill the duck with potato or bread stuffing.
Truss the duck like a chicken.
Roast
Place the duck on a rack in a baking pan.
Cover the breast with slices of bacon.
Add ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt to the pan.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes per pound plus an additional 20 minutes.
Serve
Serve with giblet sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Duck
- Its fat renders during roasting, keeping the meat moist and flavourful while the skin crisps.
- Bacon
- Its fat bastes the breast as it cooks, adding savoury flavour and helping the surface brown.
The step that matters
Bake by weight, then check it is fully cooked. The total time depends on the duck's weight, so weighing it first matters. Too little time leaves poultry undercooked and unsafe, while too much dries out the meat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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