Roast duck with orange and berry sauce
Sooo.. what's going to be on your Christmas menu this year? Are you going for the classic roast turkey, roast goose or something totally different?
Duck can be a good choice too; its dark meat is very succulent and moist with plenty of flavour and it is not that different than roasting a chicken after all.
Most people associate duck with orange because really (at least in my opinion) there is no better match for this type of meat; it is quite rich and filling and the sharpness and sweetness of the orange cuts the fat very well.
I made a berry sauce to go with it as it is festive and goes well with the meat too.
- Prep Time : 30 minutes
- Cook Time : 2h 00 min
Ingredients
- duck - 1 (about 2 Kg in weight)
- roasting potatoes - 1 Kg - 2.2 lbs
- rosemary - 2 sprigs
- sage - a few leaves
- bay leaves - 3
- oranges unwaxed - 4
- fresh cranberries - 200 g -2 cups
- fresh raspberries - 100 g -1 cup
- light muscovado or brown sugar - 200 g - 1 cup
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- honey - 2 tbsp
- onion - 1
- white wine - as needed
Instructions
Stuff the duck with the onion, the rosemary, sage leaves, 1 orange, the peel of one orange and the bay leaves.
Seal with two toothpicks. Prick the skin with a fork around the legs, rub with salt and pepper and olive oil all over the skin (you can use butter if you prefer). Place the duck on a rack over a roasting tray then put it in the hot oven at 200 C - 392 F for 30 minutes. Peel the potatoes, put them in a pan covered with cold salty water and boil them for 8-10 minutes. Drain.
Remove the duck from the oven and drain off the excess fat; remove the rack and pour a dash of white wine over the bird and the juice of half an orange, drizzle the honey and place some orange slices over the breasts.
Scatter the potatoes around the duck, stir them into the fat, sprinkle them with salt and return to the oven lowering the temperature to 180C - 356 F. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Drizzle with white wine from time to time and turn the potatoes so they will roast evenly.
Make the berry sauce by cooking the berries with the juice of 2 oranges and 200 g of sugar. Leave a handful of raspberries aside. Add the zest of one orange and cook for about 15 minutes add the remaining raspberries during the last 2 minutes of cooking so they will retain their shape and they will look good on the table.
When cooked remove from the oven, seal tightly with tin foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve the duck with the berry sauce and cooked vegetables.
If you like gravy you can make it up using the fat the duck has released during cooking.
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Alida, this is so christmasy and delicious! Honey gives the duck such a glorious look!
This duck look absolutely beautiful Alida!!
un bacio!
Dear Alida,
Absolutely outstanding!!! What a beautiful dish this is, a perfect Christmas dinner! I have always loved duck. We used to go out for New Years Day to a restaurant with the whole family every year, and duck with orange was my choice of meal to have. You are correct the orange and duck are a perfect marriage. Your berry sauce looks so sweet and delicious, another wonderful added part of this meal. I really enjoy your tutorials and they show us every step. The finished duck looks amazing on such a beautiful plate. Great Job…Thanks for sharing this with us…Have a wonderful weekend!
🙂 Dottie
Thank you Dottie, we loved this for dinner last night and my children too. Have a nice weekend x
This looks like something out of a food magazine! Beautiful!!
Che splendido piatto natalizio, mi piace molto l’ anatra con quella salsa ai frutti di bosco, bravissima! Un abbraccio e buona domenica!
Wow, this looks delicious! I’ll have to try this…soon! 🙂
Thank you!
Wow sounds delicious. Enjoy 🙂
Io adoro le tue ricette perchè sono al di fuori delle solite che si cucinano da queste parti. Questa per esempio è stupenda!!!!
Sei molto gentile. Grazie Mila 🙂
Would you believe I still haven’t decided on Christmas dinner, Alida. I’ll have to check with Marion about Duck. Last year we had Prime rib which was oh so yummy!!! However, your Duck looks gloriously delicious!!! Love that Berry Sauce!
Thank you so much for sharing, Alida…
Rib is also delicious. I often has them in Italy during the summer on the barbecue. They are just so irresistible!
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