Ingredients

  • 1 large Gressingham Duck (2.8kg)
  • 2 onions peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 bottle of stout
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 200ml beef stock
  • A little rapeseed oil for frying
  • 450g roasted potatoes (preferable King Edward or Desiree)
  • 55ml melted butter
  • 55ml olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 600g baby carrots peeled, trimmed and left whole
  • 2 tbsp orange curd
  • Knob of butter
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Preparing the jus

  1. Begin by making the jus, which can be made well in advance. Trim the wings away from the duck (see Galton’s tips below) and roughly chop. Heat a deep-sided frying pan, add a splash of rapeseed oil and fry the chopped duck wings until brown.
  2. Add the onions, fry until coloured and add the brown sugar and stout. Bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Add the beef stock and simmer for a further half an hour, skimming off any scum on the surface. Strain the jus and continue to reduce further, tasting until the desired taste and consistency is achieved. Set aside until ready to use.

Cooking the duck

  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/425°F. Prick the duck with a fork, season and place on a trivet in a roasting tin in the oven. After 30 minutes turn the oven down to gas mark 2/150°C/300°F and continue to roast for a further two hours. Remove from the oven and allow the duck to rest for 20 minutes before carving (see Galton’s tips below)

Rosti potatoes

  1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/350°F. Peel the potatoes before grating coarsely. Place in a clean tea towel and wring out as much moisture as possible before placing into a bowl.
  2. Add half the melted butter, season and mix well. Heat a 20cm (8inch) non-stick frying pan, adding the olive oil and the remainder of the melted butter. Place the grated potatoes into the frying pan and cook on a fairly high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the underside has browned.
  3. Next, turn the rosti over and continue to cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until brown. Place the rosti into the pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve immediately by cutting into wedges, or leave in the pan and re-heat slowly when ready to serve.

Orange Curd Carrots

  1. Cook the carrots in boiling water until tender and drain thoroughly. Stir in the orange curd and butter and season to taste.

Removing duck wings

  1. To remove the wings from a duck, hold the wing in one hand and pull away from the breast until the skin between the joint is tight. Cut the piece of skin in-between the joint, until you hit the joint. Keep pulling the wing back, twisting it as you go until it pops out of the socket. Continue to cut through the skin until you reach the end.

Carving a duck

  1. First remove the legs. Pull a leg away from the breast, sliding a sharp knife in-between and cut through to the bone. Turn the duck over and cut away from the breasts pulling until you get to the leg joint. By twisting a little the leg should pull out of the socket easily. Repeat for the other leg.
  2. The breasts can be removed by sliding a sharp knife between the meat and the breast bone, pulling back carefully with your fingers and cutting the meat away as you go. Once the two breasts are removed, slice and serve.