Clementine Roast Duck with Spiced Apple Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

2kg organic duck with giblets
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery stick
1 bay leaf
A handful of flat leaf parsley
2 clementines
450g apples
1 lemon
40g honey
4 cardamom pods
½ tsp cinnamon
1 red onion
187ml red wine
2 tbsp cornflour

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins + resting

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Method

1. Remove the giblets from the duck and rinse them. Pop them in a large pan. Scrub, trim and roughly chop the carrot. Trim and peel the onion, then chop it into wedges. Trim and roughly chop the celery. Add the chopped veg to the pan. Drop in 1 bay leaf and the flat leaf parsley. Add 1 tsp black peppercorns from your kitchen cupboard (optional, you can leave them out).

2. Pour 1 ltr water into the pan. Set the pan on a high heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, pop on a lid, and simmer for 1 hr. Let the stock cool for 30 mins, then strain through a sieve into a bowl. You should have approximately 800ml stock – top it up with water, if necessary. Set aside till you’re ready to make the gravy. You can keep the stock in the fridge for 1-2 days in a sealed tub.

3. Preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. To prepare the duck, pat it dry with kitchen paper. Use a small skewer to prick the fatty parts of the duck, making sure you pierce the skin. Ensure you have pierced holes in the skin between the breast and legs. This will help the fat drain while the duck roasts. If you have a rack for your roasting tin, pop it in. If not, scrunch up some foil to make a rack for the duck to rest on. Place the duck on top of it.

4. Grate the zest from the clementines. Scoop it into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir together with 1 tbsp olive oil. Rub the clementine seasoning all over the duck. Halve the clementines and tuck them in the duck’s cavity. Roast for 2 hrs till the duck is a rich, deep brown. Every 30 mins, take the tin out of the oven and carefully spoon out any excess fat from the base of the tin (wear oven gloves to protect your hands).

5. o make the apple sauce, peel and quarter the apples then slice out the cores. Roughly chop the apples and scoop them into a pan. Finely grate the lemon zest into the pan. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Add the honey, 4 cardamom pods and the cinnamon along with 6 tbsp water.

6. Pop the pan on a medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and pop a lid on the pan. Gently cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins till the apples have broken down and formed a thick sauce. Scoop the cardamom pods out of the sauce. Set aside.

7. After 2 hrs the duck should be brown and the skin should sound crisp if you tap it. If not, roast for an extra 10-15 mins. Transfer the duck to a board and rest for 1 hr somewhere warm. Pour any remaining fat out of the tin. Leftover duck fat can be stored in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to 3 months.

8. To make the gravy, peel and finely chop the red onion. Spoon 1 tbsp duck fat into a pan. Set on a medium heat and when the fat has melted, add the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper and gently cook, stirring, for 10 mins till glossy and lightly browned.

9. Pour in the red wine and simmer for 5-8 mins till the wine has reduced by half. Pour the giblet stock you made earlier into the pan and bring to a simmer.

10. Meanwhile, tip 2 tbsp cornflour into a heatproof bowl. When the pan is simmering, add a ladleful of stock to the cornflour and stir to combine. Then pour this paste into the pan and whisk to combine. Simmer for 15 mins till the gravy has thickened a little. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

11. Carve the duck and serve it with the red wine gravy and the apple sauce.