Basic Roast Duck

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (4 -5 lb) duck, excess fat removed, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°; prick duck skin all over with a sharp fork, skewer, or thin-bladed knife; try not to hit the meat (the fat layer is usually about ¼ inch thick).
• 2 season the duck with salt and pepper and place it, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
• 3 roast the duck for 15 minutes, prick the exposed skin again, then roast another 15 minutes.
• 4 brush with a little soy sauce, and then turn it breast side up.
• 5 prick again, brush with a little more soy sauce, then roast until the meat is done, about another 45 minutes; all juices, including those from the center vent, should run clear and the leg bone should wiggle a little in its socket.
• 6 when the bird is done, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh will measure about 180°.
• 7 increase heat to 400° for the last 10 minutes of cooking if the duck is not as brown as you like.
• 8 carve duck and serve.