Duck, revisited: Whole Roasted Duck with Chorizo and Wild Mushroom Confit recipe

What is it about duck that keeps it out of the average kitchen? Is it the cost? It's pricier than chicken but less expensive than steak. Is it the flavor? Duck is popular at restaurants so someone eats it. Even magazines and food television rarely extol the virtues of duck. I'm puzzled by this but let me step up to the plate and talk duck. There are countless ways to prepare this bird and I have tried a few that really excite me. My duck journey began about 10 years ago at Christmas. While I'd eaten it before, I had never prepared it myself. Armed with a Christmas recipe from a cookbook, duck was the star of my first Christmas with Lisa. As with most holidays, I began the meal at sunup and finished just before sundown, only pausing when my kids awoke and realized Santa had thought them worthy enough to bring gifts. I've since learned that prep work matters. Chopping, slicing, blanching and general organization the day before make meal day much easier now. The duck was roasted to perfection in our unpredictable apartment oven. As I set it out on the table and carved pieces for the family, I was quite proud. I knew this was a home run. Lisa hated it. So did Josh, then 11. As I recall Brittany (10) and Matt (9) were ambivalent. OK, so duck isn't for everyone. Lisa and Josh are both pretty picky eaters. Brit and Matt eat most things. Duck got shelved in my repertoire for quite some time.

Several years ago I had an awakening that I needed to revisit duck. I'd long since learned that what I cooked for Lisa was limited by her palate and I enjoyed cooking too much to stay in those confines for myself. Even to this day, I often prepare 2 different dishes to please us both and she obliges by tasting most things that I make for myself (duck is still off limits for her though). I graduated into preparations by just buying the duck breasts. They are the most popular part of the animal and quite easy to work with. Unlike chicken, the meat is dark and can be served medium rare. That lends itself to simple searing to get the thick fat layer crispy. That also renders off a fair amount of duck fat which can be used a variety of different ways (more on that in a minute). Simple seasoning and slicing thinly, duck breast is wonderful enough to serve completely on its own or perhaps on a salad. Water Street Café in Stonington, Connecticut serves a duck and scallop dish that I long to revisit.

Recently, I took up the cause of whole duck again and boy am I glad I did. Not only is the entire animal moist and delicious but the presentation is pretty spectacular. The last couple of forays involved smoking the duck for hours but slow roasting is also wonderful in the absence of a smoker. Even slow smoked, I finish it in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes to get the skin perfectly crispy. Asian preparations involve pouring hot oil over the skin for extended periods of time to get the right color and crispness but I lack a cooking vessel to accomplish that safely. Whatever your finishing touch is, finishing the skin off will put your duck over the top for flavor and there is so much fat in the skin that drying out your meal is next to impossible.

Going on the smoker

Speaking of fat, there is no better flavor than duck fat when it comes to cooking. If you have ever used bacon drippings for veggies or fish (and shame on you if you haven't), then you'll be in heaven if you use duck. For me, it's even fun to make. Whole duck always comes with extra skin that needs to be cut away before preparing. The first inclination might be to throw that away. Don't. Cut the fat into small pieces and place into a skillet over medium low heat. You don't want too much sizzling or popping. Over the course of the next 20 minutes or so, all of the fat will render from that skin. It can then be used as a base like you would any oil. You're also left with these little duck rinds that are really tasty. The recipe I'll share below uses this fat to prepare a wild mushroom and chorizo confit to serve with the roasted or smoked duck.

If you enjoy cooking and you eat duck in restaurants then this preparation is a natural progression. Every grocery store sells duck. I get mine at Publix and spend between $15-$20 for the entire bird. Try this:

Whole Roasted Duck with Chorizo and Wild Mushroom Confit.

1 whole duck, remove the innards from the cavity. Cut away the excess skin and reserve. Wash and dry.

2 oranges, 1 orange cut into wedges. The other is for squeezing the juice over the cooking duck

4-5 cloves garlic

Several sprigs fresh thyme

1 small onion, quartered

4 links chorizo (I like the Portuguese version for this), cut into small cubes

3 cups wild mushrooms (any you like)

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Stuff the cavity with orange wedges, garlic, thyme and onion. Generously season the outside with salt and pepper. Roast for 4 hours and remove. Turn the oven up to 450 degrees. Once the oven is at temperature, return the duck for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on a cutting board.

After rendering the fat from the skin as described above, remove the cracklings to a paper towel. These are perfect for munching while finishing the meal. Turn heat up just a touch to medium or medium high. Add the chorizo and sauté a couple of minutes until edges just crisps. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they are soft throughout.

To serve, quarter the duck (if you're ambitious, remove the breast from the bone -this takes a little practice to preserve most of the meat but it's not dissimilar to chicken) and arrange on a platter. Scatter mushroom and chorizo confit over and around the plate.

Serves 4.

This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.