This amazing Western-style festive roast duck by Jamie Oliver has been my go-to recipe whenever I feel like having duck at home. I recently made this for our usual end of year get-together in place of turkey, due to a complete shortage of turkey in the market this year.
I’ve modified the recipe with some improvements on the method, to reduce handling time and utensils used. I also took some inspiration from RecipeTinEats to obtain crispier duck fat roast potatoes.
Duck fat roast potatoes: simply to die for. Keep any leftover duck fat for roasting potatoes or stir frying vegetables, and reserve the carcass to make lovely duck stock.
Jump to RecipeStep by Step
On your chopping board, add the leaves of one rosemary sprig, orange zest, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt.
Rub the mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavours penetrate.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (fan 200 degrees C). Place the oven rack on the middle rung.
Stuff the duck with the remaining rosemary, orange halves, and the garlic cloves.
In a deep roasting tray, add the onions, celery, carrots, cinnamon, ginger, bay leaves, and duck neck pieces.
Place the duck directly onto your oven rack, breast-side up, then place the tray of vegetables underneath the duck. Roast for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C). Continue roasting for about 1 hour.
While the duck is roasting, prepare the potatoes. In a large pot, add the potatoes, 4 cups water or enough to cover, and 1 tablespoons salt. Bring to a simmer and parboil, 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn off the heat, drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the empty pot over the still-hot stove to steam dry, about 5 minutes.
Cover the pot with the lid, and shake to rough up the potatoes. The rough surface will result in crunchier potatoes.
After the duck has roasted for an hour, remove the tray of veggies from the oven and immediately replace an empty tray. Continue roasting the duck for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast registers 65 to 68 degrees C. Use this roast timer to calculate a more accurate timing.
Spoon out all the duck fat from the vegetable tray. Pour about ½ cup of fat into the empty tray in the oven and heat, until shimmering and smoke starts to appear, about 5 minutes.
Working quickly but carefully, remove the bottom tray from the oven. Replace with another empty tray if you like.
Carefully arrange the potatoes in the pan, turning to coat. Arrange all the potatoes cut face down.
Return the tray to the oven underneath the duck. After roasting for 25 minutes, turn the potatoes. Roast for another 15 minutes, and turn again. Continue roasting until the ducks are done.
While the duck and potatoes are roasting, make the gravy. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of duck fat over medium heat. Reserve any remaining duck fat for later use.
When the fat begins to sizzle, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste.
Stir in the prune juice.
Add all the vegetables, duck neck pieces and juices, followed by the chicken stock.
Add a little boiling water to the tray and, using a wooden spoon, scrape all the sticky brown bits off the bottom. Pour the water and brown bits into the saucepan.
Pour the contents of the saucepan into the simmering stock mixture. Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
At this point, you can choose to remove the carrots from the gravy and arrange around the edges of a serving platter for the duck. Strain the gravy into another saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Keep warm on the stove, skimming off any excess fat.
After the duck is done, remove from the oven. Cover with tin foil and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
Season the roast potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
Carve the duck as desired.
Place your carved duck pieces in the center of your prepared serving platter. Serve with the potatoes and gravy.
Festive Roast Duck with Duck Fat Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme OR 1 tablespoon fresh, leaves picked
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 orange zested and halved
- 1 whole duck, neck reserved and roughly chopped about 3 kilograms
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2 red onions peeled and quartered
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ½ inch fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 kilogram chat potatoes quartered
- 1 chicken stock cube diluted in 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 100 ml prune juice OR red grape juice
Instructions
- On your chopping board, add the leaves of one rosemary sprig, orange zest, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Rub the mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavours penetrate.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (fan 200 degrees C). Place the oven rack on the middle rung.
- Stuff the duck with the remaining rosemary, orange halves, and the garlic cloves.
- In a deep roasting tray, add the onions, celery, carrots, cinnamon, ginger, bay leaves, and duck neck pieces.
- Place the duck directly onto your oven rack, breast-side up, then place the tray of vegetables underneath the duck. Roast for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C). Continue roasting for about 1 hour.
- While the duck is roasting, prepare the potatoes. In a large pot, add the potatoes, 4 cups water or enough to cover, and 1 tablespoons salt. Bring to a simmer and parboil, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the empty pot over the still-hot stove to steam dry, about 5 minutes.
- Cover the pot with the lid, and shake to rough up the potatoes. The rough surface will result in crunchier potatoes.
- After the duck has roasted for an hour, remove the tray of veggies from the oven and immediately replace an empty tray. Continue roasting the duck for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast registers 65 to 68 degrees C. Use this roast timer to calculate a more accurate timing.
- Spoon out all the duck fat from the vegetable tray. Pour about ½ cup of fat into the empty tray in the oven and heat, until shimmering and smoke starts to appear, about 5 minutes.
- Working quickly but carefully, remove the bottom tray from the oven. Replace with another empty tray if you like.
- Carefully arrange the potatoes in the pan, turning to coat. Arrange all the potatoes cut face down.
- Return the tray to the oven underneath the duck. After roasting for 25 minutes, turn the potatoes. Roast for another 15 minutes, and turn again. Continue roasting until the ducks are done.
- While the duck and potatoes are roasting, make the gravy. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of duck fat over medium heat. Reserve any remaining duck fat for later use.
- When the fat begins to sizzle, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste.
- Stir in the prune juice.
- Add all the vegetables, duck neck pieces and juices. Add the chicken stock.
- Add a little boiling water to the tray and, using a wooden spoon, scrape all the sticky brown bits off the bottom. Add the water and brown bits into the saucepan.
- Pour the contents of the saucepan into the simmering stock mixture. Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
- At this point, you can choose to remove the carrots from the gravy and arrange around the edges of a serving platter for the duck. Strain the gravy into another saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Keep warm on the stove, skimming off any excess fat.
- After the duck is done, remove from the oven. Cover with tin foil and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
- Carve the duck as desired.
- Season the roast potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place your carved duck pieces in the center of your prepared serving platter. Serve with the potatoes and gravy.
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