Traditional Irish Ducks
Home grown, free range duck from County Down. The baby ducklings are brought in from the hatchery at 2 days old. This is a delicious Aylesbury type culinary duck, providing lean meat, with not too too much fat but just enough to run out of the duck to cook the roasties perfectly. It is very different from fatty Pekin duck which is produced specifically for Chinese cooking. These ducks are game aged, and dry plucked for a delicious crispy skin.
To cook:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Ensure the giblets are removed from the inner cavity of the bird. Dry the skin of the duck with kitchen paper. Sprinkle the skin with salt liberally. Place the duck on a trivet above a roasting tray. Place the duck in the oven and roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Centigrade. Turn down the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Roast the duck for 20 minutes per 500g. Test the temperature of the duck with a chef's temperature probe. Insert the probe into the joint between the leg and the breast - and into the thickest piece of the leg, not touching the bone. When the probe reads 75 degrees Centigrade the duck is ready.Roast potatoes can be cooked in the fat of the roasting tray beneath the duck while it is roasting.
