On The Table: ROASTED DUCK

By Laura Stevens

While many families have ham, turkey, and cake on holidays, my family was a little different. Rather than the typical celebration foods, we requested caviar and Kool-Aid for birthdays with duck for dinner. As children, a lot of our foods came from whatever Daddy killed that evening and brought back home; so, when birthdays and other holidays came around, he was under some serious pressure to bring home something good. Duck became a staple and a favorite for us during the season, as he perfected his shot (he later became a world champion for sporting clay shooting!) Anytime I make this recipe, it’s meant to celebrate someone dear to my heart. 

Roasted Duck

Ingredients: 
2 large onions
2 green bell peppers
4 oranges
3 apples (I use Granny Smiths and 2 red apples)
2 cups of baby carrots
1.8 oz container of mushrooms
2 to 3 cans consumme soup
Bacon
1 whole duck
 

Peel and quarter the onions. Quarter the apples with skin. Quarter the oranges. Cut the four sides off the bell pepper and remove the white rib. Make sure your duck is completely thawed. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the duck in a Dutch oven. Stuff the duck with some apples, oranges, and bell peppers. Surround the duck with apples, mushrooms, onions, and carrots. Pour 2 cans of consomme soup over everything. Take the oranges and squeeze juice over the duck and place them in the pot. Then salt and pepper generously. Top with bacon. Cover and cook for three hours for a 6-pound duck. The last 30 mins uncover to allow bacon and skin to crisps up. You can place it under the broiler for 10 mins but watch very carefully.