By:Nagi
36 Comments
A fabulously easy festive Christmas Roast Duck. Crispy skin rubbed with Christmas inspired spices, accompanied withan Apple Cider Drizzle. Easy to make, easy on the wallet, and a gorgeous centrepiece to add to your festive gathering!
***This recipe is part of aChristmas Specialwhere I show you how to make 3 mains and 4 side dishes that take 1.5 hrs to prepare and can belargely made ahead. So this Christmas, you can spendless time in the kitchen and more time with your family! š***
Duck isnot something I cook with on an everyday basis. But every time I make it, I wonder why I donāt. I think because like most people, I subconsciously have duck tagged as fiddly to cook with and expensive to buy.
Not true!! Itās time to get the story straight!!
Firstly, a whole duck costs around the same (on a weight basis) as chicken breast (at least, herein Sydney) ā but itās a whole lot more interesting and tasty!! A 2.3 kg / 4.5 lb duck cost me $20 from my local butcher. It is around $22 ā $25 at large supermarkets.
Secondly, duck is alot easier to roast than a whole chicken for two reasons:
1. The flesh has more natural flavourso flavour infusion / thick gravy or strong sauceisnāt as necessary as it is with roast chicken; and
2. Duck is fattier than chicken which means you donāt end up with dry breast meat and burnt wing tips.
The roasting formula is simple. 40 minutes per kg / 20 minutes per pound. Just make sure you pat the skin dry so you end up with crispy skin. A simple sprinkle of spices on the skin, and a very quick sauce for the side.
Thatās all there is to it!
I deliberately choose not to stuff it because depending on the size of the cavity and how much you pack it (or not) and the type of stuffing you use, the roasting time can significantly vary. In any case, stuffing made separately is so much more tasty because you get more brown crunchy bits. I dialled the crunchy bits aaaalllll the way up by making individual stuffing cups in a muffin tin lined with pancetta.
So, what do you think?? Will duck make it on the menu atyour next festive gathering?! ā Nagi
******
Easy, Stress Free Seven Course Christmas Menu (1.5 hr prep)
You can read about this menuhere, including a step by step of the order in which I prepared, baked, reheated and plated up each dish. I made all these dishes (with the exception of the cabbage salad) for a Christmas Party with my friends and these are photos of the actual dishes that I took to the party. Iām sharing this in the hope that it might inspire your Christmasmenu!
Easy Maple Sticky Glazed Ham(15 min prep, 1 ā 1 1/2 hrs inactive baking, can be made ahead)
Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast(5 min prep, then set and forget, reheats well but best slow cooked overnight on the night before serving)
This Festive Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle(5 min prep, 1 1/2 hr inactive baking, reheats very well)
Pork Apple Stuffing in Pancetta Cups(20 min prep and worth every second.Reheats extremely well)
Julia Childās Potato Dauphinoise Gratin(15 min prep, 45 min baking, reheats very well)
Red, Green and White ChristmasSalad(10 minutes prep)
Warm Red Cabbage and Spinach with Garlic Herb Butter(10 minutes prep)
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Festive Christmas Roast Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
Roasting
Festive
4.75 from 12 votes
Servings10
Tap or hover to scale
An easy roast duck with crispy skin rubbed with Christmas inspired spices and accompanied with a light Apple Cider Drizzle. Easy to make, easy on the wallet, and a fabulous centrepiece for any festive gathering. Unlike other poultry, duck reheats really well - it remains juicy and the skin crisps up wonderfully as well. So this recipe is great to make ahead.
Ingredients
- 1 whole duck (around 2 - 2.5 kg) (if frozen, it must be thawed) (Note 1)
- 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled and quartered
- 1 cup water
- 1 whole head of garlic , cut in half horizontally
Spice Rub
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp All Spice powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- 10 grinds black pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (Note 2)
Apple Cider Drizzle
- 1 cup chicken broth/stock (or duck broth, which is better but more expensive and harder to find)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- Salt and pepper
Garnish
- Few handfuls of rocket / arugula leaves
- 1 pomegranate , halved
Instructions
Preheat oven to 210C/410C.
Place the onion, garlic and water in a baking dish, then place a rack on top.
Rinse the duck under water, including inside the cavity. Use paper towels to pat dry. Or, if you have the foresight, rinse it the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry out.
Place the Spice Rub in a small bowl and mix to combine.
Slather the Spice Rub all over the skin of the duck (not inside). Use most of it on the top and sides.
Place duck on the rack and put in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 180C/350F. The total roasting time (including the initial 20 minutes) should be 40 minutes per 1 kg / 20 minutes per 1 lb of duck.
To check if it is done, insert a skewer into the part where the leg meets the breast. If the juice runs clear, it is ready.
Remove duck from the oven. Remove duck from the baking tray, loosely cover with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Place on a bed of rocket/arugula lettuce. Scatter with pomegranate seeds (Note 4) and serve with the Apple Cider Drizzle on the side.
Apple Cider Drizzle
Pour all the fat, juice, onion and garlic in the baking tray through a sieve placed over a bowl. Use a spoon or potato masher to mush the onion and garlic so you can extract maximum flavour.
If there is an excessive amount of fat floating on top of the juices, try to spoon it off (save it for roasting potatoes or vegetables, that stuff is gold!).
Pour 1/4 cup of the juices into a small saucepan. Add apple cider vinegar, apple juice, chicken broth and place over medium heat. Bring to simmer and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it reduces by about 1/4, then remove from the stove.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Also, adjust tartness and sweetness to your taste with more apple cider vinegar or white sugar.
Serve on the side of the duck.
Recipe Notes:
1. You can use a smaller or larger duck. Just adjust the cooking times based on the weight. The roasting time is 40 minutes per 1 kg / 20 minutes per pound. Roast at 210C/410F for the first 20 minutes (to get the skin crisp), then turn down to 180C/350F.
2. You can substitute with salted butter, or margarine. If using salted butter or margarine, reduce the salt in the spice rub to about 3/4 tbsp.
3. Apple cider vinegar can be found in the vinegar and oil section of supermarkets. It is not more expensive than other vinegars. It is less sharp than normal white vinegar.
4. An easy way to extract pomegranate seeds is to hold a pomegranate with the cut side against your fingers (splayed), then smack the pomegranate with a wooden spoon over the duck. The seeds with pop out easily.
5. Duck reheats extremely well, maintaining is juiciness and the skin crisps up well too. To reheat a whole duck, bring it to room temperature then bake in a 180C/350F oven for 20 minutes.
6. This recipe serves 10 as part of multi course meal.
7.The nutrition analysis assumes this serves 10 and does not take into account that most of the fat renders out so you don't actually consume it (the fat accounts for most of the calories). If this is part of a large multi course meal, it will feed around 15 people because duck is so rich, you do not need much.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 277gCalories: 391cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 8.9g (3%)Protein: 50.6g (101%)Fat: 15.8g (24%)Saturated Fat: 1.1g (7%)Cholesterol: 5mg (2%)Sodium: 712mg (31%)Potassium: 99mg (3%)Fiber: 0.5g (2%)Sugar: 4.2g (5%)Vitamin A: 50IU (1%)Vitamin C: 12.4mg (15%)Calcium: 10mg (1%)Iron: 0.2mg (1%)
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Hi, I'm Nagi!
I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if youāre short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!
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36 Comments
Mara says
This was so good and very easy to make. The skin wasnāt super crispy ā not sure where I went wrong on that one. I didnāt make the drizzle, but also didnāt really miss it. Definitely would make it again.Reply
- Cat says
The duck came out great! But I wonder if the proportions in the apple cider drizzle need to be re-checked? Originally made it as written, and found it to be overwhelmingly vinegar-y for my taste. Added the rest of the juice from the pan and another half cup of apple juice, and it came out great.Reply
- KC says
Happy Christmas Nagi & Dozer. We made the Christmas duck with lentils and a beet salad last night and loved all three paired together. It was an especially easy recipe to follow and weāll definitely make this again (and share with all our friends & family). To go full ātest kitchenā on Christmas is a testament to how much we trust your recipes, Nagi. We did add a little more palm sugar to the drizzle (as per your notes) and used ACV in place of balsamic since we modify everything to be AIP friendly, and loved every morsel. Thank you for your excellent recipes and your generosity of spirit. Happy New Year!Reply
- Jenny says
The duck was perfect but the apple cider dressing was disgusting. Was fine without sauce. Merry Christmas Nagi! Thanks a million for all your great recipes.Reply
- janet kotler says
well, this was disastrous. The skin did not crisp and the meat was tough. Iāve only found a few of Nagiās recipes not great but this was the biggest fail.
Reply
- Jessica Guillergan says
Hi Nagi,
Just want to know if I cook the duck with breast side-up or down?
Thank you
Reply
- Nagi says
Hi Jessica! Breast side up! N x
Reply
- Jessica Guillergan says
Thank you very much Nagi.
Reply
- kat says
made this for christmas dinner and it was a lot easier than i would ever think it was to make duck! meat came out tender, moist and flavorful! will make it again next year.
was wondering if it matters to put duck breast side up or down? Also, is it preferred to put in middle of oven?
thank you Nagi for your awesome christmas saving recipes!!!
Reply
- Angela Prior says
First time Iāve cooked duck, brilliant. No stressing looking at it. Had this Christmas Eve and leftovers Christmas Day.
Two of us so we have enough to put in a stir fry soon! Thank you. Happy Christmas xReply
- Mars says
I tried this, itās so so good! It works so well with the apple cider sauce and the rockets/pomegranate siding. Iāll definitely make this again on the next special occasion! Thanks!Reply
- Liliana says
Amazing flavor! The best duck Iāve ever had! Thank you Nagi for the receipt! I made it with the sour cherries sauce for the New year eve celebration.Reply
- Ellen says
Iām going to make this recipe this weekend and saw you mention a sour cherries sauce. I canāt find this recipe and sounds like it would be great to make. Would you provide the link?
Thanks!Reply
- Liliana says
Amazing flavor! The best duck Iāve ever had! Thank you Nagi for the receipt! I made it with the sour cherries sauce for the New year eve celebration: it looked amazing š¤Reply
- Katie says
Hi Liliana, do you happen to have the recipe for the sour cherry sauce? Sounds delish!
Reply
- Helen L says
I love your recipes. Had the steamed mussels last night and they were delicious. I want to try the duck this Christmas and have never roasted one before. You donāt mention about scoring the skin of the duck and I canāt tell from the photo. Is it necessary to score the skin and flip the duck during roasting?
Reply
- Aileen says
Hi Nagi I am just wondering if I can brine the duck overnight.
Reply
- Hazel says
Hi! Would this recipe work with duck legs or butterflied duck?
Reply
- Helen Lymburner says
I plan on cooking this for Christmas. Could I use apple cider instead of the apple juice in the drizzle.
Reply
- Nagi says
Yes 100% Helen! N x
Reply
- Helen says
Thank you. Just recently discovered your site and I love the recipes. Had the sweet and sour pork last night. My husband and I loved it. I love the pictures too and suggestions for sides.
Reply
- Carolyn says
Hi Nagi
Can you please advise if the oven temperature in the recipe is for a fan forced oven?
Reply
- Tan says
Thank you for this recipe. Will try making this. Can we substitute all spice powder with something else?
Reply
- Nagi says
Hi Tan, the all spice is what gives this that stand out flavour. If you canāt find it, you can make your own substitute with equal quantities of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon ā N x
Reply
- Lia Saunders says
Happy Xmas Nagi! I am planning on doing your Xmas roast duck and pork sausage pancetta cups for NYE. I think JPās iceberg salad would be a good side (to cut through duckās richness) but which ācarbā dish would you suggest? ie potato? Cheers
Lia šReply
- Anne Hall says
love the sound of this duck recipe,will be trying it,as we are having duck some time over the Christmas holidays.
will also try several of the starters on boxing day as family will be decending.Reply
- Jill says
Hi Nagi
Iāve been following you for a while. Your receipts are great easy to follow and always taste amazingReply
