Jared refers to this recipe as “how to roast a duck and have time for your wife” making it the perfect option for a special romantic dinner. He suggests that it would be wonderful cooked in a coal- or wood-fired barbecue – which is how I cooked it. The left-overs can be used in a simple duck salad (maybe with some citrus fruit segments – think duck a l’orange), or perhaps in a stir fry.
For the spice mix
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon pink peppercorns
¼ teaspoon green peppercorns
4 juniper berries
1 allspice berry
1 bay leaf
3 ½ teaspoons sea salt or mineral salt
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves only
finely grated peel of 1 lemon and 1 lime
To make the spice mix, pound together the peppercorns, juniper berries, allspice berry and bay leaf with a mortar and pestle; keep pounding until you have a rough powder. Add the salt and thyme and continue to pound, then add the grated lemon and lime peel and pound some more until all the ingredients are well incorporated and you have a beautiful spice mix.
For the duck
2.25 kg whole duck
as many bintje (yellow finn) kipfler (fingerling) or other waxy potatoes as you like
Take the duck and fold the neck flap under the carcass, then fold the wings under to fully expose the breast. Take the legs and give them a gentle tug (don’t pull them off) – this ‘opens’ the bird up to the heat and flavour. With a sharp knife, lightly score the skin of the breast and leg, but don’t cut into the meat of the bird; think more along the lines of gently scratching through the skin, which will help the spice mix penetrate the duck. Now, rub the entire duck with the spice mix, being sure to get some inside the cavity as well. Place in a roasting tin to catch the juices that will come off the bird and place inside the fridge, uncovered, for at least 24 hours but no longer than 48. Leaving the duck uncovered will allow the skin to dry out which will give you nice crispy skin.
Preheat your oven to 200°C and place your duck on a rack, then in a deep roasting tin. Cook for at least 1 ½ hours. If you are roasting potatoes, cut them to size and place them under or around the duck after the duck has been on for 40 minutes, basting from time to time with the duck juices. The duck is cooked when clear juices run out when a knife is inserted into the leg joint; don’t worry too much if the skin on the breast splits. When the duck is cooked allow it to rest, breast side down, for at least 20 minutes before serving.
For serving
To serve, simply take the duck to the table and carve off some breast and leg for each person. Serve with potatoes and, if you like pour on some of the cooking juices.
Jared Ingersoll is renowned for his respect for seasonal produce and his rustic, flavousome creations. His book is a tribute to the kind of cooking that has made his restaurant Dank’s Street Depot such a success. His recipes cater for couples through to crowds and from the luxurious to the lazy.