A centrepiece

Roasted duck with salt baked carrots and orange sauce

AWHOLE roast duck makes a great centrepiece for a dinner party or special family lunch. With its rich, complex, gamey flavour, it is much more flavourful than other poultry and can stand up to strong, robust flavour pairing. Here I have kept with classic duck and orange combination along with a touch of five spice and honey. It’s a great alternative as a roast dinner!

WHOLE ROASTED DUCK WITH ORANGE SAUCE Serves 2-4 Ingredients:

1 whole duck

1tbsp dried lavender 1tbsp Chinese five spice 4tbsp honey

Duck legs:

Vegetable oil

Sea Salt

Pepper

Chinese five spice Thyme

Garlic cloves

Zest of 1 orange

Salt Crust:

500g plain flour 225g table salt 180g egg whites 100ml water Large carrots

Sauce:

150ml red wine

300ml orange juice

3tbsp orange marmalade cornflour to thicken if desired

Method:

Pre heat oven to 120C/Gas Mark 1

First you will need to remove the legs from the duck, although you can buy these separate if you wish. Season the duck legs well with sea salt, pepper and Chinese five spice. Leave these for an hour.

Wash off the salt mix, pat dry and place in a heavy-based oven-proof dish.

Fill the pan with vegetable oil or duck fat just to cover the legs, place in the thyme, garlic and orange, cover with foil and cook for about three hours or until the meat falls from the bone. Once they are ready remove the legs from the oil, allow to drain. The legs can be picked down or served whole. If you wish this can be done the day before. Mix the meat with orange zest.

Pre heat oven to 150C/ Gas Mark 2 To make the salt crust dough for the carrots place the flour, salt and egg whites into a mixing bowl, gradually start to add the water until all the ingredients have combined into a dough. Remove from the bowl and kneed slightly. Wash the carrots to remove any dirt and pat dry. Roll out the dough, place the carrots inside and wrap the dough around ensuring they are all enclosed with no gaps in the dough.

Place on a baking tray into the oven and cook for about 45-50 minutes.

For the sauce, place the red wine and orange juice in a heavy-based pan. Place on a moderate heat and reduce the liquid down by half. Add the marmalade, bring to the boil again. If you wish for a thicker sauce mix the cornflour with a little water and add to the sauce gradually. Once you have desired thickness pass it through a fine sieve and sit to one side.

Whilst your carrots are cooking you can prepare your duck. Season the duck well with table salt. Mix the lavender, five spice and honey together and rub onto the duck. Make sure the whole duck is covered. Place on to a wire rack on top of a baking tray. This allows the fat to drip from the duck whilst cooking.

When the carrots have finished turn up the oven to 210C/Gas Mark 7.

Sit the carrots to one side. The heat will be retained inside the crust.

Place the duck in the oven. Cook for eight minutes. Remove, turn the duck around and cook for another eight minutes. When finished allow to rest for eight minutes.

Heat your duck legs with a little of the sauce to moisten it. Break the salt crust and remove the carrots.

Warm your sauce, carve your duck and enjoy!

Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, Glasgow. See www.hotelduvin.com or phone 0141 378 0385 to book

PHOTOGRAPH: ALAN DONALDSON