Slow-Roasted Duck a l'Orange with Lingonberry-Port Gravy & Chestnuts

So many options for the Christmas table and so many choices to be made! In the past few weeks I've been coming up with various menus in my head, circling around roasts, stews and poultry, and so far, just one thing is set: there will be one (or rather two) slow roasted ducks on the table.

This is my little tradition, which I'm not willing to compromise on. The recipe I use guarantees the most tender meat, it tastes fantastic with red cabbage and spaetzle on the side, and gravy, of course. Lots of gravy, I love it. I often used to fill the duck with a rich meat-and-liver-stuffing similar to paté, a recipe by my Mama, but it's time to try something new.

For my pre-Christmas test dinner, I stuffed the bird with oranges, apples, chestnuts, onions and herbs. The focus is on the citrus' fruitiness, and letting that merge with the meat's juices - it makes such a fabulous sauce. I mixed in some lingonberry jam and port wine, a quick sauce that makes you hear the angles sing. I didn't change the method of cooking though, I worked with the same time and temperature as every year (3.5 to 4 hours at 85°C / 175°F, with the broiler switched on in the last few minutes). The result is so reliable that I wouldn't ever dare to mess with it. This is how my mother cooks her duck and I trust her blindly when it comes to poultry (with a few other things too).

She only failed once - and that wasn't her fault - and it was funny. Years ago, she made a huge turkey for the whole family that had to be roasted in the oven for hours. At one point, we covered it with foil, following the recipe, which seemed to work fine. When my mother took the turkey out of the oven we all gathered around a little table. I remember the pride on her face, the pride of a cook who's waited impatiently to show the fruit of hours of work. She lifted the foil but the bird was pitch black - it almost looked mummified. And to make it even worse, a leg fell off with a dull thud. In a dry tone, all my mother could say was "I think it's done." We looked at each other and couldn't stop laughing! The thermostat in her oven had broken and changed the temperature setting…

Although things didn't turn out as we had planned, what I love about this night is that, even years later, we still talk about it and it makes me laugh till I cry whenever I think about it and picture the scene of my family gathering around the burned turkey. We tried to make the best out of it and cut off a few (edible) pieces and enjoyed it with lots of gravy on sandwiches.

No matter how many lemons life gives you, turn them into something edible, always!

Slow roasted Duck a l'Orange with Lingonberry Port Gravy and Chestnuts

This recipe is also in my 2nd cookbook

365: A Year of Everyday Cooking & Baking

Serves 3-4

• Olive oil

• 1 (5 ½-pound / 2.5-kg) duck, with neck and giblets reserved 

• 2 tsp flaky sea salt

• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle

• 3 medium onions, cut into thin wedges

• 2 medium, tart baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges

• 1 large orange, cut into thin wedges 

• 1 handful vacuum-packed whole cooked chestnuts

• 1 small bunch fresh thyme

• 10 fresh sage leaves

• 1 bay leaf

• ¼ cup (60 ml) port (or brandy)

• ¼ cup (60 ml) full-bodied red wine

• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1 tbsp lingonberry jelly (or another berry jelly), plus more to taste 

• Fine sea salt

• Finely ground pepper

• Ovenproof cotton string

Preheat the oven to 175°F (85°C).

In a large, heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and sear the duck, turning, for a few minutes or until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the duck to a medium baking dish and carefully pour the fat from the pan into a small bowl. Season the duck, inside and out, with the flaky sea salt and crushed black peppercorns and rub into the skin. Stuff the duck with some of the onion, apple, and orange wedges, 1/3 of the chestnuts, 1 /2 of the thyme, 1 /2 of the sage, and the bayleaf and tie the legs together with ovenproof cotton string. Arrange the remain-ing onion, apple, and orange wedges, the chestnuts, thyme, and sage around the duck and roast, spooning a little of the reserved duck fat and the juices from the baking dish over the duck every hour, for 4 hours. After 4 hours, check to see if the duck is done by pricking the thickest part of a thigh with a skewer—the juices should run clear. Turn on the broiler for the last 1 to 2 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and partially crispy, but mind that it doesn’t burn. 

Let the duck rest for a few minutes while you make the gravy: Heat 2 teaspoons of the reserved duck fat in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat and sear the neck and giblets, turning, for 2 minutes. Add the port, stir, and then add the red wine and orange juice and bring to a boil. Remove the neck and giblets, whisk in the lingonberry jam, and season to taste with additional lingonberry jam, fine sea salt, and finely ground pepper.

Carve the duck and serve the meat with the gravy, onions, apples, oranges, and chestnuts.

For the sides, you can also make red cabbage and spaetzle (just she spaetzle, without the cheese and onions).