Tony Stallone with Peapod came into our ABC 7 Eyewitness News studio to show us how to cook duck.
Tony's Tips:
Start with a whole duck. Remove the neck, liver and giblets and wash thoroughly.
Score the duck with a sharp kitchen knife, similar to scoring a ham.
Be sure not to cut into the meat, just catch the skin and the fat underneath - this will allow the fat to drain into the roasting pan.
Rub the bird thoroughly with a mixture of kosher salt and pepper.
You can also add some aromatics into the body cavity like sliced oranges, rosemary and garlic cloves.
Truss the bird (tie with kitchen twine around the wings and also around the legs to keep them close to the body).
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, place duck on a roasting rack breast side down and roast for 45 minutes.
Turn the duck over so the breast side is up. Cook an additional 45 minutes.
Then turn the oven up to 400 degrees and roast an additional 30 minutes or until it turns nice and brown and the skin is crispy.
The internal temperature should be 165 degrees on a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh.
Remove the duck from the rack and pour off the fat through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
You can store duck fat in your refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Tony's Recipes:
Roasted Duck
Ingredients:
1 Duck whole (3 to 5lbs)
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Rosemary Sprig
6 Garlic cloves peeled
1/2t Kosher Salt
1/4t Black Pepper fresh cracked
Method:
Score the skin with a sharp knife all over (top and bottom), cut off excess fat and skin.
Combine salt and pepper and thoroughly rub duck including cavity.
Place organge, rosemary and garlic in cavity.
Truss bird tying legs and wings.
Place on Roasting rack breast side down.
Put into pre-heated 300 degree oven.
Roast 45 minutes, remove and turn bird breast side up using tongs or 2 wooden spoons (be careful when turning).
Roast another 45 minutes then turn oven to 400 degrees and roast another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and pour off fat, strain and reserve for later use.
Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Roasted Duck Fat Fingerlings
Ingredients:
2lbs Fingerling potatoes, washed and dried
3T Duck fat from recipe above
1/2t Kosher Salt
1/4t Black Pepper cracked
Method:
Slice fingerling potatoes on the bias into 1/8" slices.
Combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients and toss thoroughly.
Place on a roasting or cooking sheet and roast in 400 degree pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, (turn 1/2 way through) or until golden and crispy.
