Duck Roasted in Salt

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Servings:
4

This cooking technique infuses the duck with so much flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orange marmalade

  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 piece ginger (1 inch), peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds, plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

  • 2 tablespoons whole pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

  • 1 duck (5 pounds)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped

  • 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped

  • 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

  • 1 dried bay leaf

  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

  • 3 whole cinnamon sticks

  • 5 pounds coarse salt

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan, warm marmalade over medium heat until liquified. Remove the pan from heat, and pass the liquid through a fine sieve set over a small bowl. Stir in 4 sprigs of thyme, grated ginger, and pink peppercorns; set the glaze aside.

  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse duck inside and out under cold running water; pat dry. Season cavity with pepper, and stuff with onion, carrot, celery, ginger rounds, remaining 2 sprigs thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and 1 cinnamon stick. Using kitchen twine and a trussing needle, sew cavity closed, and tie the legs together.

  3. Pour 1/3 of the salt into a Dutch oven slightly larger than the duck. Place duck on salt, and brush duck generously with the glaze. Place the remaining 2 cinnamon sticks on top of the salt. Cover duck completely with remaining salt.

  4. Roast duck until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees, about 2 hours 15 minutes.

  5. Remove the pot from the oven; let it stand 30 minutes to cool. Carefully invert the pot onto a large cutting board. Break salt away from duck; brush off any excess salt. Remove skin. Transfer duck to a cutting board, carve, and serve.

Cook's Notes

This roasting method also works well with a 4-pound chicken; adjust the cooking time to about one and a half hours.

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