Jan 11

Jan 11 Christmas Duck

For Christmas, we decided to forgo a turkey or ham in favor of a duck. I’d like to say that this was intentional, but it was what was left at our favorite local butcher’s (shout out to St. John’s Butchery!) I found an amazing recipe from House of Nash Eats (no relation, though I think I was drawn to the recipe because of the name). This duck was perfect: moist meat with a flavourful skin that was crispy, but not too crispy. My only complaint is that we only had one bird! I think we could’ve devoured two easily.

Christmas Duck

1 whole Duck (size 18, 2 - 2.5kg), fresh or fully defrosted
1 Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup Honey

Tools

Roasting dish
Butcher’s twine
Foil

Directions

Remove giblets and neck.
Rinse the whole bird, then pat dry with a paper towel. Let the bird sit for about 30 minutes before proceeding.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
Use a sharp knife to make a diamond pattern in the skin. Try not to cut the meat below. If you look at the picture above, the diamonds are on the small side - only about 1-1.5 inches across.
Quarter the Onion and de-skin the Garlic Cloves. Stuff the cavity of the duck with the Onion, Garlic, and Rosemary.
Fold in the skin to keep the stuffing the duck as you place it on the roasting dish, diamond side up. (Side note: if you’ve got a big enough dish, you can put roasting vegetables under the bird to cook in all of the juices that will drip down during cooking.)
Make a loop in the twine, then cross the legs and criss-cross the twine over both legs a time or two. Tie the twine off.
Mix the Salt, Paprika, Garlic Powder, and Black Pepper. Rub the skin of the duck with the seasonings.
Cook the duck at 220°C for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 175°C (350°F). Cook for another 45 minutes.
When the total cook time is 60 minutes, brush with half of the honey, then continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Brush with the remaining honey. (Total cook time is 1.5 hours). If the juices are pink, roast for another 15 minutes until they are clear.
Pull the duck out of the oven, and make a foil tent. Let the bird sit with a foil tent for 15 minutes before carving.

We decided to make a bed of spinach and garnish with red strawberries to give the duck a festive (yet appropriately southern hemisphere) feel. It looked appropriately Christmas-y and tasted even better!