Easy roast duck

A traditional British roast duck is so easy to make

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Serves: 4

1 free-range whole duck, around 2 to 2.2kg (41/2 to 5lb)

1 Pierce the skin of the duck all over with a skewer. Place on a rack in the kitchen sink, and pour over 2 full kettles of boiling water. Pat it dry with kitchen towel and leave it to dry on a plate in the fridge for an hour. You do this to release the subcutaneous fat layer under the skin to give crispy, not fatty, duck.

2 Preheat the oven to 200 C, 180 C fan, 400 F, gas 6. Place the duck on a rack or trivet over a deep roasting tin, as it will release around 300g (10oz) fat into the tin.

3 Add plenty of sea salt and roast for 90 minutes. Strain off the fat and keep it for the best roast potatoes ever.

4 Don't try to carve a duck; joint it. Remove the legs just as you would a chicken. Now take the whole breasts off the bone, which will make the duck go much further. Ease your knife along the breast bone then slice the breast. This will give four good servings of tender meat without any fattiness.

Per serving: 445cals, 21g fat, 6.5g saturated fat, 0g carbohydrates

Perfect roast duck every time: In all our testing, we had fantastic results with a supermarket-bought free-range duck. Once you are confident with the method, pep up your roast duck with delicious sauces. Orange sauce is a classic.

First cook shallots in butter, add flour to thicken, then whisk in chicken stock and fresh orange juice. Simmer until thick, then add Cointreau and orange segments. For 4, you'll need 4 small oranges, 2tbsp Cointreau and 250ml (9fl oz) good chicken stock.

Make a quick and easy sauce with dried and bottled cherries. Sauté an onion, then add some port and cherries, and simmer until reduced. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Try one of our other traditional British roasts:
Rib of beef
Best nut roast
Loin of pork

Or why not try one of our other traditional British recipes?

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