Christmas Roast Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle (Easy) Recipe

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A fabulously simple festive Christmas Roast Duck. Crispy pores and skin rubbed with Christmas impressed spices, accompanied with an Apple Cider Drizzle. Straightforward to make, simple on the pockets, and a stunning centrepiece so as to add to your festive gathering!

Festive Christmas Roast Duck sitting on a bed of rocket salad garnished with pomegranate seeds on a wooden board, ready for carving.

*** This recipe is a part of a Christmas Particular the place I present you the way to make 3 mains and 4 aspect dishes that take 1.5 hrs to arrange and might be largely made forward. So this Christmas, you possibly can spend much less time within the kitchen and extra time with your loved ones! 🙂 ***

Duck is not one thing I cook dinner with on an on a regular basis foundation. However each time I make it, I’m wondering why I don’t. I believe as a result of like most individuals, I subconsciously have duck tagged as fiddly to cook dinner with and costly to purchase.

Not true!! It’s time to get the story straight!!

Pork Apple Stuffing in Pancetta Cups - crispy pancetta shell (sub with prosciutto) filled with pork and apple stuffing, baked until golden and crispy on top.
Pork Apple Stuffing in Pancetta Cups served on the aspect as an alternative of INSIDE the duck!

Firstly, a complete duck prices across the identical (on a weight foundation) as chicken breast (not less than, right here in Sydney) – nevertheless it’s a complete lot extra fascinating and engaging!! A 2.3 kg / 4.5 lb duck price me $20 from my native butcher. It’s round $22 – $25 at giant supermarkets.

Secondly, duck is alot simpler to roast than a complete chicken for 2 causes:

1. The flesh has extra pure flavour so flavour infusion / thick gravy or sturdy sauce isn’t as vital as it’s with roast chicken; and

2. Duck is fattier than chicken which implies you don’t find yourself with dry breast meat and burnt wing suggestions.
The roasting formulation is straightforward. 40 minutes per kg / 20 minutes per pound. Simply be sure to pat the pores and skin dry so you find yourself with crispy pores and skin. A easy sprinkle of spices on the pores and skin, and a really fast sauce for the aspect.

That’s all there may be to it!

I intentionally select to not stuff it as a result of relying on the dimensions of the cavity and the way a lot you pack it (or not) and the kind of stuffing you employ, the roasting time can considerably differ. In any case, stuffing made individually is a lot extra tasty since you get extra brown crunchy bits. I dialled the crunchy bits aaaalllll the best way up by making particular person stuffing cups in a muffin tin lined with pancetta.

So, what do you suppose?? Will duck make it on the menu at your subsequent festive gathering?!

******

Straightforward, Stress Free Seven Course Christmas Menu (1.5 hr prep)

You possibly can examine this menu right here, together with a step-by-step of the order wherein I ready, baked, reheated and plated up every dish. I made all these dishes (except the cabbage salad) for a Christmas Get together with my buddies and these are photographs of the particular dishes that I took to the occasion. I’m sharing this within the hope that it would encourage your Christmas menu!

  • Straightforward Maple Sticky Glazed Ham (15 min prep, 1 – 1 1/2 hrs inactive baking, might be made forward)

  • Juicy Gradual Cooker Turkey Breast (5 min prep, then set and neglect, reheats nicely however finest gradual cooked in a single day on the night time earlier than serving)

  • This Festive Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle (5 min prep, 1 1/2 hr inactive baking, reheats very nicely)

  • Pork Apple Stuffing in Pancetta Cups (20 min prep and price each second. Reheats extraordinarily nicely)

  • Julia Youngster’s Potato Dauphinoise Gratin (15 min prep, 45 min baking, reheats very nicely)

  • Purple, Inexperienced and White Christmas Salad (10 minutes prep)

  • Heat Purple Cabbage and Spinach with Garlic Herb Butter (10 minutes prep)

 

7 Course Stress Free Christmas Menu

 

Christmas Roast Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle (Easy) Recipe

Christmas Roast Duck with Apple Cider Drizzle (Easy) Recipe

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Serves: 10 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 391 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • 1 whole duck (around 2 - 2.5 kg) (if frozen, it must be thawed) (Note 1)
  • 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled and quartered
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 whole head of garlic , cut in half horizontally
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp All Spice powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 10 grinds black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (Note 2)
  • 1 cup chicken broth/stock (or duck broth, which is better but more expensive and harder to find)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • Few handfuls of rocket / arugula leaves
  • 1 pomegranate , halved

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 210C/410C.
  2. Place the onion, garlic and water in a baking dish, then place a rack on top.
  3. Rinse the duck under water, including inside the cavity. Use paper towels to pat dry. Or, if you have the foresight, rinse it the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry out.
  4. Place the Spice Rub in a small bowl and mix to combine.
  5. Slather the Spice Rub all over the skin of the duck (not inside). Use most of it on the top and sides.
  6. Place duck on the rack and put in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 180C/350F. The total roasting time (including the initial 20 minutes) should be 40 minutes per 1 kg / 20 minutes per 1 lb of duck.
  7. To check if it is done, insert a skewer into the part where the leg meets the breast. If the juice runs clear, it is ready.
  8. Remove duck from the oven. Remove duck from the baking tray, loosely cover with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Place on a bed of rocket/arugula lettuce. Scatter with pomegranate seeds (Note 4) and serve with the Apple Cider Drizzle on the side.
  10. Pour all the fat, juice, onion and garlic in the baking tray through a sieve placed over a bowl. Use a spoon or potato masher to mush the onion and garlic so you can extract maximum flavour.
  11. If there is an excessive amount of fat floating on top of the juices, try to spoon it off (save it for roasting potatoes or vegetables, that stuff is gold!).
  12. Pour 1/4 cup of the juices into a small saucepan. Add apple cider vinegar, apple juice, chicken broth and place over medium heat. Bring to simmer and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it reduces by about 1/4, then remove from the stove.
  13. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Also, adjust tartness and sweetness to your taste with more apple cider vinegar or white sugar.
  14. Serve on the side of the duck.

Notes

1. You can use a smaller or larger duck. Just adjust the cooking times based on the weight. The roasting time is 40 minutes per 1 kg / 20 minutes per pound. Roast at 210C/410F for the first 20 minutes (to get the skin crisp), then turn down to 180C/350F.
2. You can substitute with salted butter, or margarine. If using salted butter or margarine, reduce the salt in the spice rub to about 3/4 tbsp.
3. Apple cider vinegar can be found in the vinegar and oil section of supermarkets. It is not more expensive than other vinegars. It is less sharp than normal white vinegar.
4. An easy way to extract pomegranate seeds is to hold a pomegranate with the cut side against your fingers (splayed), then smack the pomegranate with a wooden spoon over the duck. The seeds with pop out easily.
5. Duck reheats extremely well, maintaining is juiciness and the skin crisps up well too. To reheat a whole duck, bring it to room temperature then bake in a 180C/350F oven for 20 minutes.
6. This recipe serves 10 as part of multi course meal.
7. The nutrition analysis assumes this serves 10 and does not take into account that most of the fat renders out so you don't actually consume it (the fat accounts for most of the calories). If this is part of a large multi course meal, it will feed around 15 people because duck is so rich, you do not need much.

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Sarah Miller
Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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