RECIPE OF DUCK ROAST RECIPES

1. Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it. Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas 4.
2. Peel the onion, cut into wedges and place in a roasting tray with the giblets and a splash of water.
3. Rub the duck all over with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of Chinese five-spice and a really good pinch of sea salt.
4. Halve the clementine and place in the cavity, then sit the duck directly on the bars of the oven, with the tray of onions and giblets underneath to catch the tasty fat.
5. Roast for 2 hours, or until the duck is crispy and cooked through, turning the onions occasionally to prevent them from catching.
6. While the duck cooks, prep the garnishes. Trim and halve the spring onions and carrots, then finely slice lengthways, scratch a fork down the cucumber, and finely slice it with the chilli. Pick the herb leaves. Cut the lime into wedges.
7. Remove the cooked duck to a platter, cover, and rest for 30 minutes. Pour all the fat from the tray into a jar, cool, and place in the fridge for tasty cooking another day.
8. Now you’ve got a choice: you can make a dark hoisin utilizing the bonus flavour from the tray, or you can do it separately in a pan to achieve the vibrant colour you see in the picture – both ways are super-tasty, it’s purely personal preference.
9. Using the tray, remove and discard the giblets, leaving the onions behind. Place over a medium heat on the hob, peel, roughly chop and add the garlic and ginger, add 1 teaspoon of five-spice, then stir in the cranberries, picking up all the sticky goodness from the base of the tray.
10. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the soy, rice wine vinegar, honey, clementine juice and a splash of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick and glossy.
11. Pour into a blender and blitz until smooth, then taste and season to perfection.
12. If you’re doing it in a pan, just follow the instructions above, adding a splash of oil to the pan before the garlic, ginger and five-spice.
13. In batches, warm the pancakes in a bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water for just 1 to 2 minutes.
14. Slice the duck meat, or get two forks and ravage it all off the bone. Serve everything in the middle of the table so everyone builds their own. The crispy duck skin will be an absolute treat dotted on top!

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
2. Remove any excess fat from inside the cavity of the duck, then using a sharp knife carefully score the breast and legs all over in crisscross fashion, roughly 1cm apart.
3. Season the duck with sea salt, black pepper and the five-spice, then rub all over so the flavour catches in all the nooks and crannies.
4. Halve the clementine and place into the cavity along with the bay leaves. Transfer the duck to a medium roasting tray and roast for around 1 hour 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, halve the bulb of garlic across the middle, then peel and roughly slice the carrots and onions.
6. When the time is up, remove the roasting tray from the oven. Carefully lift up the duck and scatter the veg into the tray to make a trivet. Sit the duck on top of the veg, then return the tray to the oven for a further 40 minutes, or until the duck is beautifully crisp and the meat falls easily away from the bone.
7. Once cooked to perfections, remove the duck to a plate to rest while you get on with the gravy.
8. Add the flour to the vegetables, then mash everything together with a potato masher, scraping up all the sticky goodness from the bottom.
9. Place over a medium-high heat, pour in the Marsala and leave to bubble and cook away, stirring well.
10. Add the stock, then bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Strain through a coarse sieve, skim away any fat from the surface, then season to taste.
11. Shred or carve up the duck, then serve with the gravy on the side. Nice with duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal greens and cranberry sauce.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
2. Remove any excess fat from inside the cavity of the duck, then using a sharp knife carefully score the breast and legs all over in crisscross fashion, roughly 1cm apart.
3. Season the duck with sea salt, black pepper and the five-spice, then rub all over so the flavour catches in all the nooks and crannies.
4. Halve the clementine and place into the cavity along with the bay leaves. Transfer the duck to a medium roasting tray and roast for around 1 hour 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, halve the bulb of garlic across the middle, then peel and roughly slice the carrots and onions.
6. When the time is up, remove the roasting tray from the oven. Carefully lift up the duck and scatter the veg into the tray to make a trivet. Sit the duck on top of the veg, then return the tray to the oven for a further 40 minutes, or until the duck is beautifully crisp and the meat falls easily away from the bone.
7. Once cooked to perfections, remove the duck to a plate to rest while you get on with the gravy.
8. Add the flour to the vegetables, then mash everything together with a potato masher, scraping up all the sticky goodness from the bottom.
9. Place over a medium-high heat, pour in the Marsala and leave to bubble and cook away, stirring well.
10. Add the stock, then bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Strain through a coarse sieve, skim away any fat from the surface, then season to taste.
11. Shred or carve up the duck, then serve with the gravy on the side. Nice with duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal greens and cranberry sauce.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.

2. Sit the duck, breast side up, on a trivet in a roasting tin and dry the skin with kitchen paper – the drier it is the crisper the cooked skin will be. Rub the skin with oil and season with salt.

3. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3 and slow-roast for 2½ hours, basting from time to time. The wings of the duck should be tender, and the legs should come away easily from the body of the bird.

4. Drain the fat from the bottom of the tin, reserving 1 tablespoon for cooking the sauce (see also tip). Increase the oven temperature to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7 and return the tin to the oven for 20–30 minutes or until the skin of the duck is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the reserved duck fat in a medium saucepan and fry the shallots over a medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes until lightly golden but not burnt. Pour in the port, wine and stock, then raise the heat and allow to bubble for 5–10 minutes until reduced by a third.

6. Add the jelly and vinegar, then strain the sauce and discard the shallots. Mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth. Add a little of the hot sauce to the bowl and then add the mixture to the rest of the sauce in the pan. Add the cherries and carefully bring to the boil, stirring. Season with salt and pepper and boil until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

7. Carve the duck – it will be very tender and cooked through, not pink like a duck breast – and serve with the cherry sauce.

Cook time: 3½ hours, plus resting.

Prepare ahead: The sauce can be made up to a day ahead and reheated. The duck can be roasted 8 hours ahead if serving cold.

Mary’s Classic Tips:

* If your duck comes with the giblets, save them to make a flavoursome stock with the duck bones. It freezes well and can be used in place of the chicken stock used here. 

* Keep the duck fat – it’s great for flavoursome roast potatoes.