Slow-roast Duck and gravy

I love duck, and I love slow-roasted meats so this is the only way I could consider cooking a whole duck. It gets rid of all that fattiness that you get with duck and instead you have this wonderful melt-in-your-mouth duck meat and astonishingly crispy skin. It does serve four but I cook a whole roast duck for 2 and then use the leftovers for many treats over the following days.


Most whole ducks will come with a bag of giblets inside. I use them to make giblet stock for the gravy but you can also make giblet soup or duck liver pate, whatever takes your fancy!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 2.2-2.5kg oven-ready duck
Sea salt
A handful each of fresh sage, rosemary and thyme
90ml port
2tsp plain flour
300ml stock (chicken or giblet)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas mark 3.
2. Rub the duck skin all over with the sea salt, and stuff the duck with the fresh herbs. Place the duck, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting tray and roast for 3 hours, draining the fat that comes off into a bowl about once an hour.
3. Turn the oven up to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7 and roast for another 15 minutes to really crisp up the skin.
4. Transfer the duck from the rack to a warm plate and leave to rest for a few minutes whilst you make the gravy.
5. Skim the fat off the bowl of juices you have set aside until just the duck 'jelly' remains. Add the port and simmer for a few minutes until it is well reduced. Stir in the flour and allow to boil rapidly for a few seconds, then gradually stir in the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes until rich and thick. Season to taste and strain into a warm jug.

There you have it, slow roasted duck with it's own gravy. Delicious with any vegetable accompaniment, but especially with the saute potatoes recipe you can find here.