Easy Roast Duck

Duck was always going to be the centerpiece of our Christmas feast. When we saw it on special at Checkers in November, we immediately gobbled one up to keep in the freezer. This then gave me over  a month to find the perfect roast duck recipe. The first one I found instructed me to roast the duck for four hours. Now, I'm fairly new to the world of duck roasting, but this seemed a little excessive.

After a little more help from Google, I came across this method from Jamie Oliver. A simple 2 hour roast, turning the bird once. Quicker and a less-electricity-consuming method, I was sold. Let's be honest, do you really need an excuse to spend more time in a hot kitchen that necessary? 

 We served our simply - with duck fat roast potatoes and a spiced plum sauce. If I'm completely honest, the tub of duck fat I collected was reason enough to roast this bird - it was put to very good use for the next month.

The method for this duck is very simple. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Rinse the duck in cold water, inside and out (remove all giblets) and pat dry. Pierce the skin all over with a sharp knife. Place on a trivet or rack in a roasting tray and place breast-side down for one hour. After the hour, remove all duck fat that would have collected in the tray, turn the duck around - breast-side up - and roast for another hour. When done, remove all remaining fat from the tray, cover the duck in foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

The plum sauce was not documented, due to the excitement of this glorious roast bird - here is a delicious one if you would like to make it. Would be great to keep in the fridge as an accompaniment to pork too.