Rosemary and Orange Slow Roasted Duck
Course: Dinner, holidayCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate4
servings30
minutes3
hoursI love this recipe that I found over 6 years ago in a favorite magazine, Fine Cooking. I have made this recipe many times for Christmas dinner and/or New Year’s Eve. I love the flavor and the laying of the sweetness of the duck, the savoriness of the rosemary and the tang of the orange. This is a dish well loved and requested by all ages in my family. It is a little time consuming to do but in the end it is a fabulous looking and even better tasting meal. Enjoy.
Ingredients
1 5-6 lb. whole duck
Kosher salt and Freshly ground pepper
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, about 5 inches long
1/2 orange, quartered
1/2 yellow onion, cut in half
- Sauce
3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 cup dry white vermouth or white wine will do
1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
3-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest
Kosher salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper
Directions
- Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350.
- Remove the duck wing tips and any giblets. Rinse duck inside and out, pat dry. Season duck all over with plenty of salt and fresh ground pepper on the inside and out. Stuff cavity with fresh rosemary sprigs, orange, and onion. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Put the duck, breast side up on an oven rack in an ovenproof roasting pan. Roast the dusk until skin is deeply browned and skin is crisp. The meat should be fork tender when poked with a fork, about 3 hours. Transfer the duck to a carving board, let it rest while you make the sauce.
- Sauce
- Pour off all but a couple of teaspoons of the fat from the roasting pan. Put the pan over medium heat and add the shallot, cook stirring until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vermouth and broth and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Raise heat to high and boil until reduced to about 2/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in the bitter, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a gravy boat. Whisk in chopped rosemary, orange zest and season well with salt and pepper.
- Carve duck and serve with sauce. This goes perfectly with mashed potatoes and green beans with shallots and chestnuts.
