Serves

Four

Prep Time

O/night

Cook Time

4 hours

Difficulty

Easy

  • Ingredients

  • 4 – 6 duck marylands

  • Handful of fresh thyme sprigs

  • 6 bay leaves

  • Peeled zest of 1 orange (around 4 strips)

  • 1 1/2 litres (50 oz) warmed olive oil

  • 1/4 cup sea salt flakes

  • 1 large bunch of red seedless grapes

Comments

This duck is so tender, moist and surprisingly easy to cook. We cooked in olive oil rather than duck fat. Vegetable oil could also be used.

Pairs well with …..

Roast potatoes and salad greens

Hints and tips:

You can cook this days ahead, and store in the cooled oil in the fridge. When ready to use, simply drain the oil and heat the duck in the oven while crisping the skin.

In an oven proof dish just large enough to fit the duck legs in snugly, place the thyme and bay leaves and arrange duck on top. Sprinkle duck with the sea salt. Cover and refrigerate for around 8 hours, or overnight.

Preheat fan oven to 120C (248F)

Remove duck from the dish, gently rinse the salt off and pat dry. Place the orange zest on the thyme and bay leaves and place the duck back into the baking dish. Pour the warmed olive oil over the duck until completely covered.

Place in oven and cook for 3 ½ – 4 hours. Meat should be tender and come off the bone easily with a fork.

Remove the duck from the oil and onto a wire rack to drain for 10 minutes.

To crisp the skin, pre-heat the oven to 220C (428F)

 Place the duck, skin side up, on a tray lined with baking paper. Cook until the skin is crisp, around 10 – 15 minutes. Alternatively, you could crisp the skin on a fry pan on medium high heat.

For the roasted grapes, trim grape bunches into individual serves, place in a pre-heated oven at 200C (390F) and roast until blistered and very tender, almost collapsing.

Serve the duck with the roasted grapes and salad greens.