Sorry Daffy, It's Duck Season: Roast Duck

Chicken…check. Salmon…check. Beef…check. What’s next on the list of proteins? Lamb? I like lamb sometimes, but I’m not the biggest fan. Veal? Keller talks about the wonders of veal stock, but as for the meat itself I rarely eat it or order it. Wandering through the poultry, meat, and seafood counters at Sunshine Foods (they’re all together in a small horseshoe shape), I had an “A ha!” moment. Duck.

I enjoy duck in many forms, from the legendary Peking Duck at the Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church, Virginia to a tasty Duck Confit. I decided to start off simple: roast duck. Plus, the process would give me a necessary by-product if I wanted to try the more complicated confit method: duck fat.

I did not have a good roasting weekend. Both the duck and the next roasting recipe I tried ended up slightly overcooked. The duck stayed in the oven for about 15 minutes too long. Luckily, my overcooking couldn’t completely destroy the great natural flavors in this fresh, local duck from nearby Sonoma Poultry.

(When you buy a duck...you get a whole duck.)

The most difficult part of the process was deciding which recipe to follow. I found a number of different recipes each with different cooking times (from 90 minutes to four hours) and different methods for dealing with the thick layer of fat under the duck’s skin. Here is a sampling of approaches from three well known cooking authorities:

James Beard: cook at 350 degrees for 2.5 hours, pierce skin all over and turn heat up to 400 to cook for 15 minutes and allow fat to drain from skin

Julia Child: cook at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes (she notes that the French like their duck medium-rare) or a little longer for medium, pierce skin before roasting to allow fat to drain during roasting

Ina Garten: pierce duck skin and place duck in a simmering pot of chicken stock for 45 minutes; skim off duck fat that rises to top; allow duck to dry, then roast in 500 degree oven for 30 minutes

I decided to strike something of a middle ground and combine Beard’s and Julia’s approaches. I pierced the skin, making sure not to go all the way through to the flesh, before roasting (Julia’s approach), but decided to leave it in for about two hours (Beard’s approach).

(Duck, trussed and ready to roast)

One of the reasons why roasting a duck appears so daunting is the task of managing the fat. Approximately every twenty minutes, I poked holes in the duck skin on the breast, leg, and thigh with the point of a knife to release additional fat from under the skin. After the duck cooked for a little while it was easy to understand why Beard suggested waiting a little while to pierce the skin: it’s much easier to do once the skin gets slightly crispy. I’m also curious what, if any, affect leaving the fat under the skin has on the flavor and moisture of the meat. But, that’s for another attempt.

(After roasting...you can see the marks in the crispy skin to release the subcutaneous layer of fat)

By the end of the roasting period, the bottom of the pan had collected a large amount of grease, which I saved (but sadly never used). The skin had turned a dark shade of brown and was very crispy. After taking it out of the oven, I let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Carving the duck was a little more complicated than carving a chicken, because there is less meat and more bone. Also, the bones aren’t where you expect them to be. For example, the joint that connects the thigh to the body is much further underneath the duck than on a chicken. It took about four minutes of frustrating searching with the tip of my knife before I finally just ripped it off.

The thigh was tender, but the leg meat and skin had dried out a little too much. Luckily, the meat retained the traditional duck flavors that are a mix of sweetness and gaminess. Similarly, the breast meat was a mix of moist and dry meat but still flavorful.

I served the duck with an improvised foccacia dressing (I didn't want to stuff the bird on my first attempt) that I baked in the oven. I took about half of a plain foccacia loaf that I purchased from the Model Bakery, chopped it into approximately one-inch cubes, and sauteed them with some shallots in a little butter until the bread got slightly browned. I put the bread crumbs in a square, glass baking dish with a few tablespoons of chicken stock to add some flavor and moisture. I put it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or so. It probably could have gone a little longer, but since I wasn't following any recipe and the duck was ready I pulled it out.

It was my time ever cooking a “game” meat and I’m glad that I tried it, even if it wasn’t a total success. But, I learned some valuable lessons for my next attempt and ended up with some good leftovers that turned into a tasty second meal.