Download the recipe below.
4 Servings
50-60 Minutes
A DANISH CHRISTMAS TRADITION
Mette Karin Petersen
In Denmark it’s tradition to serve duck for Christmas Eve. Many of us have ducks in our freezer. So why buy one, when you have the privilege to serve some of the best wild meat for your family? Here comes my favorite way to cook an orange wild duck full of Christmas flavors.
Ingredients
For the Duck
- 2 wild ducks (this is mallard)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 apple
- 2 white onions
- 2 orange
- 2 carrots
- 1 handful apricots
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly grounded pepper
For the Sauce
- 300 ml duck stock (preferably, make your own beforehand)
- 2 tbsp wheat flour
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 100 ml cream
- 1 tsp. currant jelly
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly grounded pepper
- Gravy brown (gravy color) – optional
For the Sugar Browned Potatoes
- 1 kg small potatoes
- 80 g white sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 25 g butter
For the Christmas Salad
- 2 handful green kale, thinly sliced
- 2 handful red kale, thinly sliced
- 1 handful apricots, cut into two
- 1 handful dates, sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- ½ apple, thinly sliced
- ½ orange, thinly sliced
- ½ tbsp apple vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- Salt and freshly grounded pepper
Method
Prepare the wild ducks for cooking by cleaning them. Sprinkle with sea salt, inside and out, rubbing the salt into the skin. Meanwhile, slice apple, onions, carrots, apricots and orange. Fill the ducks with as many fruits and vegetables as possible and transfer rest to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and place the filled duck on top of the vegetables and set aside.
Next, we prepare our potato side dish. Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until you can easily run a knife through them. Set aside.
For our Christmas menu we are also going to prepare a nice, fresh winter salad. Thinly slice green and red kale. Cut apricots and dates, and slice red onion and orange. Mix everything in a large bowl. In another bowl mix olive oil, apple vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix the dressing into the salad. Set aside until you are ready to serve.
Every roast needs a nice and rich gravy. But before we get started with this, turn on your oven to 200°C, so it’s ready for the ducks in next step. Ideally, you would have prepared some duck stock beforehand and use it now to speed up the process. For the gravy, add butter to a pot and melt the butter over low heat. When the butter starts bubbling, slowly add plain flour while whisking constantly until the mix forms a firm mass. Keep whisking until the mix turns light brown, but not too dark. Slowly add duck stock, while continuously whisking. Add stock until you get the consistency you like. Add cream and currant jelly, salt and freshly grounded pepper to taste. Let it simmer on low heat. Remember to whisk once in a while.
Back to the wild ducks. Your ducks are filled and are resting in a baking tray on top of onions, apples and carrots. In a high heat frying pan add butter and fresh rosemary. When the butter starts bubbling take the wild ducks and fry them briefly on each side until they are browned all over. It takes about 3-4 min. Transfer the ducks back to the backing tray and set in the oven for 15-20 min. A perfectly cooked wild duck should still be pink inside. The roasting time depends on size of the duck. To be sure you can use a meat thermometer. The cooking time for duck is 65°C. Once the duck is cooked, let the wild ducks rest for 8-10 min. before you serve.
While the ducks are in the oven, finish the sugar browned potatoes. This takes some patience. Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer in a cold frying pan. Turn on the heat to the medium setting and let the sugar melt until it turns light brown. Do not whisk or touch the sugar at all. Be patient. When it starts to bubble add the butter and start whisking until it turns into a delicious brown caramel. Now, add potatoes to the frying pan and fry on low/middle heat for about 10 min. until they are well covered on all sides.
Before we serve, take a look at the sauce and add some gravy brown (gravy color) if you like. Slice the duck, plate up and enjoy a beautiful Christmas Dinner.
Happy Cooking & Merry Christmas.
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