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The Not-So-Starving Student—Easy Honey Roasted Duck

The Not-So-Starving Student—Easy Honey Roasted Duck

As the days are becoming cooler and roasted foods take over the dinner menu, I decided to try my hand at roasting. To make things more complex, I opted to roast a whole duck. Initially, I was concerned with my lack of experience in the kitchen to attempt such a feat. Unlike chicken, duck protein has a higher fat content, and the added toughness of duck meat would make it tough to create a tender and juicy texture that I would be proud to bring for my meal preparation. Luckily the recipe was simple and satisfied my craving for roast duck in the last week. If you’re like me and enjoy comfort food but don’t quite enjoy the lengthy process required to prepare a meal, then this recipe is for you! The best part about this recipe is that by setting 15 minute timers, you can still study, multitask and do other things while the duck is roasting in the oven.

Total preparation and cooking time: 3 hours

 

Ingredients:

1 whole utility duck
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp cooking wine
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
Optional: chilli pepper to taste

 Easy gravy sauce:

2 tbsp duck fat during cooking
100 mL of water
100 mL of cream or milk
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper

Instructions:

  1. Ground all ingredients with a food processor or with a pestle and mortar into a fine paste
  2. Optional: carve the duck into two for easier cooking
  3. Rub ingredient paste onto the duck and allow it to marinade for 30 minutes (for better taste marinade for 2-3 hours)
  4. Save 1 tbsp of paste to be applied later
  5. Put entire duck into a pressure cooker and steam for 3 minutes on low pressure. Another option is to steam it with a regular pot
  6. After 3 minutes, remove the melted duck grease and put the duck into the oven at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes
  7. Save the removed duck fat for the gravy dipping sauce
  8. After 15 minutes, rotate the duck so that it cooks evenly and put into oven at 375 degrees F for another 15 minutes
  9. After 15 minutes, rotate the duck again so that it cooks evenly on the other side at 375 degrees F
  10. Repeat step 8
  11. Apply 1 tbsp of paste evenly to the surface of the duck
  12. In the final 15 minutes, use the broil function on the oven to crisp the skin of the duck

Preparing the gravy

  1. Add the saved duck fat during the cooking process into a separate sauce pan
  2. Add water, milk, salt and flour to the mixture and whisk at low to medium heat
  3. Allow gravy to thicken and season it with ground pepper
  4. When the duck is ready, drip the gravy over the roasted duck and serve

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