John Torode's roast duck and gravy
Tired of roast beef, lamb and chicken? Whether it’s a lazy Sunday, Christmas Eve or New Year’s day, John Torode’s showing us his alternative roast to serve on a winter’s evening.
Roast duck
Ingredients
For the duck:
1 whole duck (about 2kg)
good handful of sage, torn
2 small shallots, peeled and chopped
1 lemon, sliced
3 whole carrots,
1kg large potatoes, such as maris piper, peeled and quartered
2 onions, cut into wedges
For the gravy:
1 dessertful spoon of plain flour
300ml water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 220C.
Prep the duck the night before. Start by washing the duck with plenty of boiling water. Mix the sage, shallots and lemon in a bowl and then fill the duck cavity. Season with salt and pepper and shake the duck to make sure it’s lined fully.
Once the duck is filled the skin needs to be pricked all over, either using a fork or a tenderiser, this allows all the fat under the skin to render as the bird roasts. Season the skin with salt and pepper.
Peel the carrots and place into a large ovenproof dish/roasting tin and then place the duck on top of the carrots. Roast in a hot oven at 220C/ for 20 minutes
Whilst the duck is in the oven, parboil the potatoes.Bring a pan of water to the boil. Cook the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, until just tender. Drain.
Remove the duck from the oven. Turn the duck over so the breast is down and the backbone facing up, this ensure the breast is moist and also means you get crispy skin. At the same time, scatter the potatoes around the edge of the duck in the roasting tray and carefully toss in the hot duck fat. Reduce the oven to 200C and return to the oven and roast for a further 45 minutes.
Remove the duck from the oven and allow to rest, return the potatoes to the oven and continue to cook until they are golden and crisp.
Once the potatoes are ready take out and place in a heatproof dish and keep warm.
For the gravy, drain the duck fat and set aside. Empty the contents of the cavity of the duck into the tray. Remove the lemon and place the tray over the heat. Add a good dessert spoon of flour and mix over the heat.
Now add water, approximately 300mls and continue to cook the sauce, add more water until the right consistency as necessary, and season if needed. Strain into a jug and cover the jug with cling film to keep warm.
Carve the duck and serve with the potatoes and gravy. Enjoy
Red cabbage with apples and cinnamon
Ingredients
This can be made the night before and gently reheated.
100g butter
5 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
2 red cabbage: halved, core removed and sliced
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
100g raisins
the rind of half an orange, chopped
2 cinnamon sticks, halved
200g brown sugar
300mls red wine
50mls red wine vinegar
black pepper and salt to taste
Method
In a heavy based pan, preferably cast iron, heat the butter over a high heat and add the bacon, fry well until it is just a little coloured, then remove from the heat.
Lay a quarter of the cabbage on top of the bacon, then a quarter of the apples, a quarter of the raisins and some orange, cinnamon and brown sugar, seasoning each layer well with salt and pepper. Repeat, layering up until all the ingredients are used.
Place the pan over a high heat and add the wine and vinegar, bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Put the lid on, reduce the heat to as low as possible and cook for 1hr-1hr 50 mins until all the ingredients are tender. (Note: do not stir at any stage, ensure that the lid is sealed well, but check the liquid every twenty minutes to ensure that it does not evaporate. If it does top with water).
To serve, take the pan to the table, with the lid still on, and spoon out.