Roast duck, classic and crispy

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 duck(s), fresh or frozen (approx. 2800 g)
• 2 sweet and sour apples (e.g. Boskoop)
• 1 pack of prunes, pitted
• 1 jar red cabbage
• rosemary
• Thyme
• marjoram
• salt and pepper
• some sugar
• 1 kg potatoes
• some flour
• 1 onion(s)
• some clarified butter margarine or lard
• some butter
• 2 bay leaves
• Cranberries from the jar

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 6 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 9 hours

delicious with red cabbage, potatoes and sauce

Thaw the frozen duck. Be sure to drain the thawing water and do not reuse it. Remove the rump, as this is where the yellowish fat glands are located. They must be removed, otherwise the meat will become bitter. Experts will only cut out the fat glands. Also remove most of the neck flap. Now wash the duck thoroughly inside and out under cold running water. Drain, but do not pat dry. If there are any remaining giblets, remove them and rinse the duck again. Season the duck inside and out with salt, pepper, a generous amount of rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. Wash one or two apples, depending on the size, and stuff them inside the duck, then add a good 1-2 handfuls of the prunes. Sew the duck shut or use roulade pins. Let it marinate overnight or for at least 6 hours. The next day, preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat, fan: 180°C). Place the duck on a greased baking tray, or better yet, in a large roasting pan, in the oven with a pat of lard or margarine for about 2 hours. Baste it occasionally with its own cooking fat. Pierce it occasionally with a roulade fork to allow the fat to run out. Do not pierce or baste it again during the last half hour so that the skin becomes nice and crispy. Then place the duck back in the oven on a separate baking tray. Shortly before serving, cut it into pieces with poultry shears, and place the apple and prunes on a separate plate. You can eat it with the duck; it tastes delicious! The juices from the other baking tray or roasting pan will be used for the sauce! Simple boiled potatoes make a delicious side dish. On the day you are cooking the potatoes, boil them in salted water for about 20 minutes. For the red cabbage, peel and dice the onion, and sauté it in a little butter until translucent. Let the red cabbage drain slightly from the jar, then add it. Finely dice half an apple and add it along with two bay leaves. Season the red cabbage with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar, and if possible, braise it for a while. It tastes even better the next day, so it’s good to prepare ahead! A spoonful of duck fat won’t make the cabbage suitable for WW, but it will make it tastier! For the sauce, drain off 3/4 of the duck fat. Pour about 1 liter of warm water over the pan juices and loosen them a little, i.e., scrape them up, e.g., with a whisk or wooden spoon. Pour through a fine sieve into a separate pot and bring to a boil. Whisk about 250 ml of cold water with the flour until thickened. It’s best to use a whisk; there should be no lumps! To thicken the sauce, slowly whisk the water-flour mixture into the pan juices. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with the spices mentioned above. If there are any lumps, no problem: pass it through a fine sieve again. I also serve the meat with a dollop of cranberries from a jar, if you like.