Crispy duck with baked apples

Duck is my favourite meat, so much so that I had it as my wedding menu main course. I was particularly excited to find a whole Barbary duck in the supermarket. The Barbary duck, also known as Muscovy duck, is leaner than other breeds of farmed ducks and renowned for its plump, firm meat. I decided to roast the whole duck properly with apples and beetroots, not forgetting to render some delicious duck fat along the way. 

Crispy duck with baked apples, roast beetroots, and hasselback potatoes

Ingredients

serves 2

1 whole Barbary duck (around 1.4kg)
2 Jazz apples (or any eating apples), gently scored in the middle
sea salt for rubbing and seasoning
1-2 beetroots, roasted and cubed
4 white potatoes, cut into thin slices halfway through

Method

1. Clean the cavity of the duck and pull out quills if required.
2. Trim off any excess skin/fat at either end of the duck's cavity. Render the skin if you like. To render: Cut the skin into smaller pieces. Put the pieces in a pot with a little water. Bring the water to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and let it simmer for a while. The skin will let out most of its fat. Strain it into a jar and reserve.

   

   Rending duck fat

3. Prick the duck’s skin all over with a sharp knife to create small holes that’ll let the fat escape more readily. The more fat escapes, the crisper the skin will be. Take care not to pierce the meat.
4. Rub the duck inside and out generously with sea salt then let it rest breast-side down on a rack over a roasting tray. Let it stand there for an hour or so to draw out the moisture. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 150°C.
5. Rinse the duck quickly and pat dry. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt over the duck. Put the duck, breast side up, on a rack over a roasting tray for 1 hour.
6. After the first hour, pull out the duck and prick all over the skin again to let the fat out. Pour away the fat in the tray and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C. Turn the duck breast side down and return to the oven to roast for 1 more hour.
   
7. After the second hour, pull the duck out, prick all over again and flip it back to breast side up. Pour away any fat in the tray and set aside. Return the duck to the oven for another 1 hour.
8. After the third hour, pull the duck out and prick all over again, then flip it back to breast side down. Pour away any fat in the tray and set aside. Return the duck to the oven for another 1 hour.
9. In the final 45 minutes of cooking, put the potatoes on the tray under the duck to bake.
   
10. In the final 30 minutes of cooking, put the scored apples (to prevent them from exploding in the oven) on the tray, beside the potatoes and under the duck, to bake.
11. After 4 hours of roasting, the duck should be crispy and ready to eat. Remove the potatoes and apples from the tray, and turn up the oven to 205°C. Blast the duck, breast side up, for 5-7 minutes. Then remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
    

The duck did indeed turn out crispy and moist. And the baked apples were a wonderful accompaniment.