I made duck for the first time today.

[no_hypocrisy]

Specifically, Roast Duck with Roasted Vegetables with Orange Brandy Sauce.

It took 4 hours.

The vegetables were onions, carrots, garlic, turnips, red potatoes.

I had been warned about how duck can smoke, so I studiously removed the extraneous duck fat and skin. (Now I can render it to use for future roasted potatoes.)

It was worth it. Very tasty and most restaurants don't have duck on the menu (and after today, I can understand why).

[Major Nikon]

1. Many people steam it first and then roast it

If you steam it for the first hour of cooking, most of the fat will render and it won't smoke in the oven when you brown it.

Sous vide first does the same thing.

Personally I usually quarter the duck and pan fry it.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. That's exactly how I did it -- after I removed the extra fat and skin.

Steamed for about 20 minutes with the vegetables, then into the oven.

[Major Nikon]

5. As long as you steam it long enough the fat will remove itself

The skin crisps up nicely the in the oven if you leave it on.

Be sure to save the fat after rendering as it's great to use for other things.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Oh yeah! Rendered duck fat is Liquid Gold in my kitchen!

[Sanity Claws]

2. Sounds wonderful!

Care to share a photo or the recipe?
I have been doing some extra cooking now in the holidays but nothing as ambitious as your duck recipe.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Duck has been on my radar for years now.

With the Pandemic, I have had a need to tackle more challenging recipes. Granted, this wasn't Peking Duck, but hey, I'm happy!

[randr]

7. I am cooking a duck New Years Eve or day

I'm thinking of splaying it on grill.
Has anyone done this?
Will leave skin on and hope all the grease will drip out to basin and leave a brown crispy skin and juicy meat. Will baste as needed with a wine sauce.

[soothsayer]

8. I've done beer can duck on the grill

You need a tall boy can, and keep the coals well away from the drip pan.

[dweller]

9. Duck breast

is an easier stand alone cut, we used to pan sear and finish on the grill, skin on for the flavor and fat, to temp
serve with sides was a best seller
Should be available in higher market retail

✌🏻

[Callalily]

10. Oh yum! I haven't made duck in a long time!

There's a Thai restaurant near me that serves the best crispy duck you have ever eaten. Haven't been there in a long time though, but may just get some take-out!

[Saviolo]

11. We did duck for Christmas.

We didn't get whole duck, though, we just got some duck breast. We did it pan-seared and pan-roasted with a butternut squash puree along with brussel sprouts with almonds and a butter vermouth sauce, and homemade cranberry sauce.

For the duck we just scored the skin side, seasoned with salt and pepper, and gave it a good sear in the carbon steel pan skin-side down, then flipped it over and put it in the oven to finish.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Warpy]

12. Crackly duck skin is divine stuff

so what I did when I roasted a duck was use a disposable roaster pan with the duck on the rack for the first half to three quarters of an hour of baking, the skin pierced to expedite the rendering of fat. I'd keep that pan on a cookie sheet so it would be easier to wrangle out of the oven when it was full of lovely duck fat.

Then I'd either continue roasting the duck and whatever veg for an hour and a half in a standard roasting pan while the duck fat cooled to the point I could pour it into jars for the fridge. Or I'd set up a wok to smoke the duck for the rest of the cooking time,

Smoked or roasted, it was cut into serving sized pieces on a platter, each piece with a little bit of crunchy skin.

The Pueblo Cultural Center restaurant here has had it on the menu from time to time, since it has always been one of their seasonal proteins, but you're right, most restaurants avoid it.

I don't know what's better, the duck with its crisp skin or the potatoes roasted in the fat over the next few weeks. It's a tough call.

[Phentex]

13. I've never made it...

we did talk about it once.