This Honey Roast Duck recipe from House of Nash Eats makes a beautiful holiday main dish with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat.
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 sub: 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.
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 a quartered apple.
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.
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 degrees F for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees 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.
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:
Storage: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.
