This Honey Roast Duck recipe makes a beautiful holiday main dish but is easy enough for any special occasion or Sunday dinner. With crispy skin and tender, juicy meat, this post will show you how to cook duck to get that beautiful roasted look and amazing flavor!
Table of Contents
- What was eaten at the first Thanksgiving?
- Must-know tips for Roasted Duck Recipes
- Why we love this Roast Duck Recipe
- Roast Duck Recipe Ingredients
- How to Cook Duck
- Roasted Duck Recipe FAQs
- Duck Recipes Temperature and Time
- Serving this Crispy Roast Duck Recipe
- Duck Recipe Variations
- What to serve with Honey Roast Duck
- How to store Crispy Duck
- Honey Roast Duck Recipe
In all honesty, I had never made duck prior to this one! I had eaten it out a lot, but I’d never thought to roast it myself at home. I was so surprised at how easy and delicious it was! IMO, if you can make a Whole Roast Chicken, you can easily make a whole roast duck!
This honey roast duck is perfect for any special occasion and is a great idea for a smaller Thanksgiving, or for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner.
Stuffed with onion, garlic, and fresh rosemary, the duck is seasoned with a flavorful dry rub, and glazed with honey and roasting juices.
The honey just helps crisp up the skin and give that beautiful dark color to the finished bird, but the overall flavor was very savory from the garlic and onion that I stuffed inside the duck cavity before roasting.
We love serving this duck roast with homemade-from-scratch Green Bean Casserole, this delicious Cranberry Jello Salad, and my super easy Slow Cooker Creamed Corn.
What was eaten at the first Thanksgiving?
Everybody knows that basically none of what we currently eat as “traditional” Thanksgiving favorites were served on the first Thanksgiving, right?
We aren’t even sure if the turkey was on the menu for that first Thanksgiving! What we do know about that first Thanksgiving meal is available from just a couple of snippets of surviving documents from that time, and historical research.
One such snippet is from a letter from one of the original Plymouth colonists, Edward Winslow. He was writing home to a friend about the feast that later became the basis for our Thanksgiving celebration:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others.” – from an article on Smithsonian.com.
That whole article is really interesting reading if you want to learn more about what the Pilgrims and Wampanoag really ate on the first Thanksgiving.
My Historically Hungry cohort and I decided to each contribute a recipe that is a closer nod to the original offerings than the sweet potato casserole or cranberry sauce that we eat today.
Jenni has a recipe for Nasaump (sort of a cornmeal porridge with berries and nuts) for the Wampanoag side of the meal, and I’m sharing this Honey Roast Duck recipe for the Pilgrim side of things.
It’s likely that the birds prepared by the Pilgrims for the first Thanksgiving were spit-roasted or boiled. These methods were historically typical for meat preparation, but these days, it’s just much easier to grill, smoke, or roast duck instead.
Must-know tips for Roasted Duck Recipes
I opted to roast our duck in the oven, as it’s super easy and also leaves you with the wonderful excess duck fat that you can use in other recipes!
One big consideration when roasting a whole duck is how to deal with the layer of fat under the skin that adds tons of flavor but can be tricky to cook with properly, given its thickness. The key is to score the skin with a sharp knife so that the fat can escape (a process called “rendering”) while the duck slowly roasts in the oven.
There is no need to rub a duck with butter or oil before roasting as you do with chicken or turkey because the duck is going to naturally have plenty of fat to keep it juicy and moist on its own.
This method of preparing and slowly roasting ducks (and geese, which are also likely to have been served at the first Thanksgiving) has been used for centuries.
The only downside to this slow-roasted method of cooking duck is that the breast meat will be fully cooked. Some may prefer medium-rare breast meat when it comes to duck, and that’s just not really achievable when roasting an entire duck.
That said, even the breast meat is still moist, and the legs and thighs are perfect when prepared this way. This preparation isn’t the same as sauteeing duck breasts in a pan for that perfect medium-rare, so be prepared for a fully cooked bird.
Why we love this Roast Duck Recipe
- You can easily customize this recipe with your favorite roast flavors and garnishes.
- With very few ingredients, your roast duck will have that restaurant quality that is perfect for special occasions!
- This easy recipe will tell you everything you need to know to roast duck.
Roast Duck Recipe Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Salt – Mixed in with the dry rub to enhance all the flavors, kosher salt or sea salt is great for this.
- Paprika – Adds a bit of an earthy, sweet, and peppery flavor to the duck. Use smoked paprika if you want a bit of added smokiness too!
- Garlic Powder – Garlic is wonderfully aromatic, and we’ll use garlic powder for the dry rub for its intense flavor.
- Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper is best for a flavorful peppery punch!
- Honey – We use honey to baste the bird to ensure we get a crisp skin. Use your favorite type of honey, or just whatever you have to hand.
- Duck – You’ll want a whole duck for this recipe, you can use fresh or frozen. If using frozen, remember to account for the 2-3 days of defrosting time when you’re planning to make it.
- Onion and Garlic Cloves – A quarter of an onion and some garlic cloves will be stuffed inside the duck to give it a great savory depth of flavor.
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs – Use fresh rosemary sprigs inside the duck to flavor it from the inside out, and also have some on hand for a great presentation too.
How to Cook Duck
Prepare the duck. Be sure to completely defrost your duck in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if using a frozen duck. Remove the giblets and neck from inside the duck.
Rinse well, inside and out, with cold water, and pat completely dry using paper towels. Allow the duck to sit out on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting. It’s best to allow it to warm up a little before putting it in the oven.
Score the skin. Use a very sharp knife to score the skin on the duck’s breast in a diamond pattern. Try to cut only the skin without reaching the breast meat below. If there are other fatty areas, like where the duck legs connect to the body, give those a poke or slash as well. This is going to allow the fat from the duck to render and baste the bird while it roasts.
Stuff the duck. Stuff the body cavity of the duck with garlic cloves, a quartered onion, and a couple of sprigs of rosemary. You could also use lemon slices or a quartered apple. The stuffing should be discarded after cooking. The aromatic veggies add flavor to the meat while roasting but won’t be great to eat on their own.
Truss the duck. Fold the loose skin on both ends of the duck to hold everything inside and tie the duck legs together. Do this with butcher’s twine or string. Truss the duck by tying a loop around one duck leg, then crossing it over the other leg. Wrap the twine around both legs once or twice, then tie it off. I don’t actually know if it affects how the duck cooks, but it makes for a much prettier presentation!
Make a dry rub and season the duck. In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper, then rub it all over the duck. Place the duck breast side up, on a wire rack over a baking sheet, or on the rack of a large roasting pan. Don’t sit the duck on the bottom of the pan. You will be surprised how much fat will cook out of the duck. You don’t want the duck sitting in the fat while it cooks. At this point, you can put potatoes or another veg under the duck to roast them in the duck fat at the same time if you wish.
Cook and glaze with honey. Start the duck by roasting it at a higher temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temp to 350°F and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At the 60-minute mark, brush half of the honey over the duck, then cook for 10 minutes before brushing the duck with the remaining honey.
Check for doneness. If the juices are still running pink after a total of 1½ hours, let it roast another 15 minutes before pulling it out of the oven and tenting it with foil for 15 minutes to let the juices redistribute before carving. The duck will be done when the juice that runs from the thigh after poking it is barely just a rosy pink color.
Roasted Duck Recipe FAQs
Trussing a duck means tying it with twine. You don’t have to truss your duck before roasting it, but it does make it easier to carve once roasted, and makes the presentation more appealing.
A typical duck will serve 3–4 adults, and our family of four was easily able to finish off this entire bird in one sitting.
Here are a few great tips to get really crispy duck skin:
Dry and score. Start by patting the duck dry with paper towels. Then score the skin to help release some of the fat during the cooking process. Season the duck well with a rub that includes salt, which also helps dry out the skin and get it crispy.
Cook high, then lower. Start the duck at a higher oven temperature, decreasing it partway through.
Add honey. Brush the duck with a little honey a couple of times toward the end of roasting. This will sort of caramelize in the bottom of the roasting pan with the rub and the fat coming off the duck, which you can use to baste it a couple of times too if you like.
Allow the duck to cool completely before freezing it. Put it in a freezer-safe container, a Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This is really up to personal preference, but I do not typically cover a duck when roasting it unless the outside is getting too dark before the meat is done in the center. Covering the duck in foil can help it cook through more evenly, but it also prevents crispy skin from forming as easily since some of the moisture remains trapped under the foil.
For crispy duck skin, start by roasting at a higher temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temp to 350°F for the remaining time until the juices run clear.
No, it is not necessary to boil a duck before roasting it, but it’s something you can try if you want to attempt this popular method of preparing your duck. The idea is that boiling a duck for 15-30 minutes can help render some of the fat in the skin before roasting it, thereby creating crispy skin. I find it to be an unnecessary and messy step that doesn’t make a significant enough difference to be worth the effort.
Roast duck is a popular dish in parts of China, although the method of preparation differs depending on the region. Peking duck is from the Northern region of the country and is not stuffed, letting the duck flavor alone be the star. It has a specific method of preparation that involves drying out the skin before roasting. Other roast duck recipes from China take less time and effort and may involve stuffing the bird with fruits, vegetables, spices, or other aromatics before roasting.
Duck Recipes Temperature and Time
It will take around 2 hours to roast a whole duck in the oven, including the resting time after removing the duck from the oven.
The duck will be done when the juices that come from the fattest part of the thigh or drumstick are still just barely rosy pink when the duck is pricked. The USDA recommends cooking poultry to 165°F, but since duck is not a common salmonella carrier like other poultry, many people prefer duck breasts to be around 135°F.
Although I typically prefer using a digital meat thermometer, this is one situation where I find sticking to a roasting time and using the prick test to be the better choice. We are going to go higher than the 135°F that I would want if I were cooking only the duck breasts in a saute pan.
Start making this honey-roasted duck recipe by roasting it at a higher temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temp to 350°F and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the juices are still running pink, let it roast another 15 minutes before pulling it out of the oven and tenting it with foil for 15 minutes to let the juices redistribute before carving.
Depending on the size of your duck and the temperature it was at when you put it in the oven, this might take a little less time or maybe even a little longer.
Start checking around the 60-minute mark when you brush half the honey onto the top of the duck. Check again ten minutes later when you brush the remaining honey on the duck to get this beautifully dark roasted skin.
Serving this Crispy Roast Duck Recipe
- Present the whole duck. When you serve this duck roast, present the whole bird at the table by putting it on a large platter with brightly colored greens or fruit under or around it. I used fresh spinach leaves and a segmented pomegranate for color. But you could surround a roast duck with roasted potatoes or root vegetables, and use rosemary sprigs for pops of color.
- Feed the family. Calculate the size of duck you will need before preparing your meal. You may need to plan for some filling carby sides, or even some meaty ones, to bulk it out if you want to feed 4+ adults with one bird.
Keep the excess fat!
Don’t discard the duck fat! Save leftover duck fat in the refrigerator and use it just like you would use leftover bacon grease. Roast veggies, and especially roast potatoes, taste amazing when cooked with duck fat! It’s the liquid gold of roasting.
Duck Recipe Variations
- Flavor: You can use lemon slices, orange slices, or a quartered apple to flavor the duck from the inside out instead of rosemary sprigs. Duck also goes well with more tropical flavors like mango, and apricot would work well too.
- Spices: Try out different spices on your roasted duck. Warming flavors like cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves go well with duck.
- Nuts: Garnish with some nuts, or add them to side dishes for your duck. Walnuts, pine nuts, or pecans are good.
- Dried Fruit: Dried fruit goes well with duck, think of trying them in the garnish or in some side dishes to go with your duck. Raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and even dried apricot, dried mango, or dried peaches can be delicious.
- Garnish: If you use fruit on the inside, try decorating the duck to present it with fruit slices around it too.
- Onions: Use white, yellow, or red onions depending on how potent you’d like their flavor to be in this dish. (White onions are the most potent, yellow onions are medium, and red onions are mild in flavor.)
What to serve with Honey Roast Duck
- Cranberry Jello Salad with Cream Cheese Topping
- Winter Pear, Pomegranate & Swiss Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans
- Easy Southern Cornbread Dressing
Side Dish
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Side Dish
Garlic Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Side Dish
Green Beans with Bacon & Pine Nuts
How to store Crispy Duck
If you have any leftovers, they can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store them in an airtight container, or cover them tightly in plastic wrap on a plate.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Honey Roast Duck
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup honey
- 5 pounds whole duck
- ¼ onion
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh rosemary sprigs Optional subs: lemon slices or a quartered apple
Instructions
- Completely defrost the duck in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if using a frozen duck, then remove the giblets and the neck. Rinse well, inside and out, with cold water and pat completely dry using paper towels. Let the duck sit out on the counter for 30 minutes to come up in temperature a bit.5 pounds whole duck
- Use a sharp knife to score the skin on the duck's breast in a diamond pattern, trying to cut only the skin without reaching the breast meat below. If there are other fatty areas like where the duck legs connect to the body, give those a poke or slash as well.
- Stuff the cavity of the duck with garlic cloves, a quartered onion, and a couple of sprigs of rosemary. You could also use lemon slices or a quartered apple.¼ onion, Garlic cloves, Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fold the loose skin on both ends of the duck to hold everything inside and tie the duck legs together. Do this with butcher’s twine or string to truss it by tying a loop around one duck leg, then crossing it over the other leg and wrapping the twine around both legs a time or two, then tying it off.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper, then rub it all over the duck.2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Place the duck breast-side up on a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet or on the rack of a large roasting pan.
- Start cooking the duck by roasting it at a high temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At the 60-minute mark, brush half of the honey over the duck, then cook for 10 minutes before brushing the duck with the remaining honey.¼ cup honey
- If the juices are still running pink after a total of 1½ hours, let it roast another 15 minutes before pulling it out of the oven and tenting it with foil for 15 minutes to let the juices redistribute before carving. The duck will be done when the juice that runs from the thigh after poking it is barely just a rosy pink color.
Notes
- Store: Cooked duck leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight container, or cover it tightly in plastic wrap.
- Freeze: Allow the duck to cool completely before freezing it. Put it in a freezer-safe container, a Ziploc bag, or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I’ve tried this and it came out great!
Great worked perfectly
Thanks for this recipe. I have done duck and goose for Thanksgiving and Christmas for over a decade (we are not much for turkey!) THIS recipe is great for walking through the essentials. I agree, its best not to over do the duck.
For the stuffing, I used an apple, onion and garlic, but instead of Rosemary, I poured in 1/4 cup of Sesame Teriyaki Marinade & sauce and rolled it around the cavity before stuffing the bird.
And rather than roasting, I put it in the rotisserie that we have. Perfecto!
PS: the honey glaze is a stroke of genius!
What a great idea for seasoning the cavity of the bird! I’m going to have to try that!
Added some ginger to the rub and included lemon, etc, etc to the stuffing => Delicious. A picture, which I cannot post on comments looks exactly like the recipe photo. Finished off with raw honey from our hive. Never made duck previously, Spouse says “the best” and make iit again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! And how cool to use honey from your own hive!
Used your recipe to the letter for Christmas dinner. Our duck was 7 lbs. so I added the 15 minutes. It was perfect, brown and crispy and 165 degrees
I loved your instructions. I usually skip that part in a recipe blog but yours were great. Thanks!!!!!!
You are welcome!
Made this a few weeks ago and it was so good I had to make it again for Thanksgiving! We raise Muscovy ducks on our farm and we do skin them bc it’s so much easier than plucking but this recipe still works great!
If i were to do this in my ducth oven would the cooking time and temp change?
Not really but you would want to remove the lid to crisp the skin at the end probably.
Is this calorie count right? One lb of roasted duck on most sites is 583 calories. Times that by 5 is 2,915. Add the honey (258 calories). 3,173 divided by 4 is 793 per serving, not 1026.
I just use a tool that is supposed to automatically calculate nutrition and maybe it isn’t working quite right for this recipe. Sorry!
I will be making the Honey Roast Duck tonight and wanted to know if you would recommend making a gravy with some of the rendered fat, and if so how would you prepare it?
I have never tried it but I bet it would be delicious! Usually I use the duck fat to make crispy roasted potatoes!
Thanks for this recipe! Made it last night and was amazing. My husband just adored it, as well. The meat was very juicy and melting-in-your-mouth. I didn’t have paprika, but I used 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika + 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Just right amount of spicy without being hot.
Cooked per directions and duck was perfect. Timing was less due to my oven cooking temp running high. Delicious! 8 year old and husband ate every last bite. Honey adds glaze and flavor, but not sweet at all. Brilliant!
Mine came with head and legs. Can I keep them attached?
I haven’t tried that approach so I don’t know how it would affect the cooking time.
Tried this recipe today and it came out awesome! I love how the honey compliments the duck. Made a simple salad and some rosemary potatoes too and everyone loved it. Definitely doing this again soon, good evening.
This is by far the worst recipe article I’ve ever seen! I didn’t thing there was a recipe at all! Just paragraph after paragraph of long bodies of text. It wasn’t until I hard to search for the word “honey” to find that it was strangely described only briefly in the middle of the article that I managed to find the actual ingredients list and recipe details HALF WAY down the page. Honestly, the worst article I’ve seen by far. Recommendation: at least provide a link at the top that takes you past the your life story directly to the recipe. This page is otherwise useless to most people who just want to get on with the cooking. Don’t worry, we’ll come back if the recipe is worth its salt.
I’m sorry you feel that way. You must have missed the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page which would have taken you straight to the recipe itself. I always try to provide additional helpful tips and explanation in the post itself, but know that not everyone wants that, which is why I have the link at the top of the page to take you straight to the ingredients and instructions.
You must have a lot of bottled up anger that needs addressing ASAP. There was no need to be so nasty about someone else’s content. Do like the layout, find another blog/recipe. Keep the negative energy.
Seriously, google another recipe! Or was it just a way to vent your anger on somebody? Then maybe go for a run! Nobody needs your negative comments!
Thanks to Amy for taking the time to answer you and for her wonderful recipe that i am trying tonight.
Peace!
This is by far the worst review I’ve ever seen. Just long bodies of text. Haha.
I kind of agree. Recipe was long and nobody gives a crap about your husband and kid etc…..
Just tell us the recipe and move on.
Turned out good though!! 🙂
Get over yourself. Amy is personable! Lovely recipe, great outcome. Perhaps your lack of spell check reflects your impatience.
I’m still trying to figure out how to rate this because it is 5 stars and my family loved it the 1st time I made it. Making it again today and trying roasting potatoes under it. It is so delicious!
Thank you! Very helpful. Making duck tomorrow for dinner for the first time. Your recipe is clear and simple. Great pix 🙂
Excited to try this! Would you suggest brining the duck 24 hours in advance?
You absolutely could brine the duck for 24 hours! It’s a great way to do chicken and turkey, so it would work well with duck also!
Perfect! I used smoked paprika and stuffed with apple, lemon, garlic, thyme and onion. It was my first time cooking duck and it came out amazing! I’ll definitely use this recipe again next time.
With this recipe I was finally able to get the duck skin perfectly crispy.
I am trying this method today with my duck. Wish me luck it comes out right. Thank you.
Delicious. Thanks for the details. Great Thanksgiving meal for 2.
This duck turned out amazing! I did, however add one step to keep the skin crispy.
I brought a pot of boiling water to pour over the duck before scoring it to tighten up the skin. I then scored it as the recipe recommended and left it in the fridge for 24 hours to further dry out the skin.
Absolutely loved it! Cooked it for my family 2 years ago on Christmas Eve and what a treat. Definitely a family tradition for now on
I followed this recipe and the temperature was 165 when removed from the vein but the duck was very tough and hard to separate from the bones. The meat had a good taste just very hard to serve. Do you think I got a bad duck. It was bought a HEB and was not cheap!
That is a strange result! I haven’t heard of that before! I wish I had a better explanation for you of why that might happen!
I followed this recipe exactly and the duck came out perfect. After the second applicable of honey I left the duck in for another 15 minutes and then took it out when it hit 150 degrees so after it sat for 15 minutes on the counter, it was a perfect medium. (Duck was in the oven for 1 hr and 40 mins total). I use an electronic thermometer to track the temp, which I highly suggest. (I used a Rohan duck from D’Artagnan (online/delivery). I found a recipe for a sweet/tart cranberry sauce and it was a fabulous accompaniment to this duck.
I made this for Christmas dinner. It was delicious! Even the non-duck eater in our family enjoyed it! It was even better a couple of hours later. Thank you so much for this easy and pleasing recipe.
This is my first time making duck and it was a great, easy recipe to follow. I made a couple additions and roasted brussel sprouts and bacon on the side as well as strips of bacon on top of the duck. Turned out so well I might have to do it again!
I felt if someone’s gives a free recipe, the person has every right to speak of their family. A lot of people post articles like this. I happen to enjoy stories like this because if I had a child, teenager, husband, I want them to enjoy. Please keep up the great work you do with describing your family.
So: Aldi had duck around Christmas and I got one. Have never cooked duck before- I knew I had come to the right place when I saw this was your first attempt too. I was a little intimidated by the scoring procedure but persevered. I’ve made it twice now – did potatoes the second time. It was amazing both times. I haven’t mastered the crispy skin part but nobody minded. Thank you so much!
I have used this recipe several times. My family loves it. I find it very easy to follow.
This recipe does not tell how to make the honey glaze sauce to go on the duck, it just say in a bowl mix garlic powder, salt, paprika and pepper than rub on the duck, where is the rest to make the sauce
I’m going to use this recipe for my first time cooking duck! A lot of recipes I’ve looked at have you flipping the bird halfway through. Do you think that’s worth adding to this recipe?
Huh, I have never tried flipping the duck halfway! I would be interested in hearing how that goes and might have to look into it. Honestly, it turns out so well without that extra hassle that I might not bother.
I use this for my family of 4 every time we buy a duck around holiday time. I am now using two ducks. I generally stuff the bird with a split orange, and rub inside and out with a small amount of soy sauce and lemon juice mixed with garlic and ginger. Otherwise I baste with honey as per your recipe. It is still the best of any I have tried. I did try one recipe that called for flipping the bird half way. In my opinion it left the breast overly oily and disturbed the cooking process. Those mean-spirited (otherwise known as haters) who don’t want to hear about family in your contribution are revealing more about their own dysfunction than anything else. The social context of food preparation is entirely significant. Thanks for all you shared!
🙂
Hi,
Love this duck recipe! My son and husband request it every holiday. I was wondering if this can work for chicken and if there are adjustments that need to be made if it does.
Thanks,
Teresa
Amy, I’m excited to roll with this recipe for our Thanksgiving get together!
And thank-you for being personable. Don’t change.
Do you suggest a certain type of apple to insert in cavity?
Hi! And thank you for being kind! It’s a harsh world out there sometimes but I have also developed some thick skin. 😉 As far as apples, I probably would do almost anything but red delicious. Stick more to fragrant apples like a honeycrisp or even granny smith. Hope that helps! I hope you have a good Thanksgiving!
Hello Amy
I would like to try this recipe tonight. I have two ducks Pekin and a khaki. Do you think Khaki would work roasted the same way? Or should I do anything different. Not sure if you have any experience with using Khaki. Can not wait to try.
Thank you
I don’t have any experience with a khaki and haven’t even heard of them! Sorry!
If I use duck legs and breast and want to spud vide first how do I modify the recipe
I have no experience with sous vide cooking so I really can’t say. Sorry!
Excellent. My almost 6 lb bird needed less time as my oven runs hot, but otherwise, excellent.
Came out great, might shorten the cooking time a tiny bit next time as I prefer my duck more medium than well-done. Used 1 tsp of smoked sweet Spanish paprika and 1 tsp of Korean Gochugaru pepper, next time I’ll use 2 tsp of each. Honey was a nice touch on the skin.
Did this in a cast iron dutch oven on a trivet, with potatoes under the trivet to cook in that liquid gold. Made this for Canadian Thanksgiving. The dog was mesmerized by the oven for an hour.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Sounds like a delicious roast duck!
Looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving. How would you recommend I roast potatoes with this (as you mentioned in this post)? Should I just quarter some potatoes and simply scatter them on the roasting pan (essentially beneath the wire rack the duck is cooking on) and let them cook for the entire time the duck is roasting? Thanks in advance!
Yes, you would scatter them beneath the wire rack. Depending on the size of the cut potatoes you can roast them the whole time or smaller potatoes just an hour. Enjoy! It will be delicious!