Roast Duck

[John McLaughlin]

Last night Uncle Jackie's Imaginary Cafe and Grill served roast duck with roast potatoes and cream cauliflower. I must admit cooking Duck is a labor of love as it took four days from start to finish. If using a frozen duck be sure it has totally thawed out. Clean the inside dry and then rub the inside. I used a rub made with Asian 5 spice and BBQ sauce. Let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for a few days to dry out the skin (this helps to get crispy skin). Make sure you have the time during the day to cook the duck as it can take three or four hours from start to finish. I do diagonal cuts to allow the fat to drain and poke the skin all over to assist in draining the fat as the duck cooks. Many recipes say cook at 350 however I found this to hot so after the first hour I went to 300 degrees. Rub with salt, stuff with lemon and garlic, close the opening and tie the legs. Cook for one hour with the breast up. At the end of the first hour poke the skin again and turn breast side down and cook for forty minutes. Then turn the duck breast side up and based it with balsamic vinegar and lemon mixture and cook another 40 minutes basting it with the mixture every ten minutes. Mix honey and about two table spoon of the balsamic mixture and use it to based the duck every ten minutes for the last 40 minutes. Let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the poatoes, cauliflower and duck sauce if using.