Afraid to roast a duck! Suggestions?

tradhead

Hey guys,

I'm off sick from work and positively drooling watching Jamie Oliver make roast duck lasagne. Nom.

I'm not the handiest in the kitchen and trying to teach myself but I would rather not branch out to roasting an entire bird and possibly poisoning everybody yet :-O Also my kitchen is tiny.

Is there anywhere that would sell roast duck, the way that Tesco and the like have roast chickens? I was thinking maybe some of the Asian supermarkets...has anyone any ideas?

endacl

Roasting poultry ain't rocket science. If you don't do it, you'll never be able to do it. Get out there and buy a duck. Then follow these very simple instructions.

You're already out sick. What harm could it do?

:pac:

IRE60

tradhead wrote: »

Hey guys,

I'm off sick from work and positively drooling watching Jamie Oliver make roast duck lasagne. Nom.

I'm not the handiest in the kitchen and trying to teach myself but I would rather not branch out to roasting an entire bird and possibly poisoning everybody yet :-O Also my kitchen is tiny.

Is there anywhere that would sell roast duck, the way that Tesco and the like have roast chickens? I was thinking maybe some of the Asian supermarkets...has anyone any ideas?

Its dead easy. Get duck, wash, pat down with dry towel, let dry, small drop of white wine vinegar with salt and pepper mixed. rub into the skin of the duck - let it stand for a bit (hour or so). Oven at 180/200 for about 1.5 hours - depends on the size - presto - roast duck . Oh - put some quartered onions in the base of the tray when roasting the duck.

Also - J.O. has a recipe for duck with oranges etc - don't go near it, its foul*


(*get it...? serious its horrid and a wast of a duck)

C

IRE60

oh and you must be dying if you watching food programs

Oink

No idea where you could buy one, but it's seriously dead easy to roast stuff. I was very unsure about it myself the first time I tried, but now I'm hooked!Now is the best time. You're in the house, you're not hosting a party. Just give it a shot!

The first time you do it I would suggest you overcook a little rather than undercook. You're alone, so if you have to cut into the meat to check that it's done, sure feck it why not.

Seriously, do it. Do iiiiiit!

I promise you, it's fun.

duploelabs

key to duck is not to roast it on a flat surface as it lets out a lot of fat and it will end up boiling/frying in it's own fat. Either roast it on a cooling rack (up off the pan) or roughly chop some root veg with some robust (rosemary thyme sage etc) herbs and layer that on your roasting pan and pop the bird on top

Whistlejacket

Lidl have duck leg confit at the moment so you could buy some of them (in the meat fridges just past the veg section). They're already slow cooked in the duck fat so you just pop them in a hot oven (200C) for about 20 minutes to reheat them. Let them cool a bit and pull the meat off the bones to put in the lasagne.

But roasting poultry is easy, and delicious. I'd strongly recommend you have a go. You can do a lot in a tiny kitchen. Weigh the duck, chicken etc. before you start and leave it out of the fridge to come to room temperature for about an hour before you cook it (this ensures the heat will penetrate it fully while it's roasting. Don't wash it. Just put it in a hot oven at 220C for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C and roast for 20 minutes per pound e.g. if it's a three pound chicken it will be in the oven for a total of 70 minutes (10+20+20+20).

You can confirm it's fully cooked by inserting a skewer or knife tip into the thickest part of the meat on the breast and ensuring that the juices that run out are clear, not pink-tinged. Once the juices are clear it's fully cooked but still lovely and moist, not dried out into cardboard. Then take it out and leave it to rest at room temp. for about 15 minutes before eating it.

Here's a recipe http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/roast-chicken-waitrose.html

I'd recommend Delia if you are starting out and gaining confidence, as her recipes are so clear and easy to follow.

Get well soon!

duploelabs

snip

duploelabs

What applies to chicken does not totally apply to duck. Duck can, and in my opinion should, be served pink thus the pink juices trick should not apply. Over cooking it will completely ruin the taste and texture which makes Duck stand head and shoulders (or bill and wings) above all others in the poultry world. Get a digital thermometer, one of these http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-meat-thermometers. Preheat your oven at 220, and give it 20 mins at that and then 15 mins per half kg or until your meat thermometer reads 60 to 63 degrees celsius. Duck also isn't the most meaty of birds so beware a size by size comparison with chicken.
If you're just doing a lasagna, I suggest you get the confit legs as the previous poster suggested and strip the flesh from those and you don't have to worry about cooking the bird. You also get amazing bones which make the best stock and also the fat with is stunning to use on roast potatoes

Cheshire Cat

You can buy half roasted ducks in Dunnes and Tesco. The one's that come with Chinese pancakes. (Silverhill or similar name)

I have made the duck lasagne. It's extremely tasty, but a LOT of work. I roasted the duck the night before, as I had the oven on to bake bread. It also gave me the chance to clean the oven before the lasagne went in. Roasting a duck is a messy business, as the fat will splatter all over the oven.

MissFlitworth

If you're in Dublin the Oriental Emporium at Jervis Street luas stop has a hot deli and sells roast duck (and bao! yum)

dmc17

Oink wrote: »

No idea where you could buy one, but it's seriously dead easy to roast stuff. I was very unsure about it myself the first time I tried, but now I'm hooked!Now is the best time. You're in the house, you're not hosting a party. Just give it a shot!

The first time you do it I would suggest you overcook a little rather than undercook. You're alone, so if you have to cut into the meat to check that it's done, sure feck it why not.

Seriously, do it. Do iiiiiit!

I promise you, it's fun.