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 the duck
Select a young, fat duck with soft lower legs and webbing.
Singe and draw the duck like a chicken, then wipe it inside and out with a damp cloth.
Weigh the duck and fill it with potato or bread stuffing.
Truss the duck as you would a chicken.
Roast and serve
Place the duck on a rack in a baking pan, cover the breast with bacon, and add water and salt to the pan.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 40 minutes.
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 crisping the skin.
- Bacon
- Lies over the breast, adding fat and savoury flavour while protecting the meat from drying.
- Potato or bread stuffing
- Fills the cavity, adding moisture and flavour from the inside as the bird cooks.
The step that matters
Wiping the duck dry inside and out. Removing surface moisture from the skin helps it brown and crisp in the hot oven rather than steaming. Leftover moisture slows browning and can make the skin pale and flabby.
“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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