Warner's Budgens Taste Club

December '09

Whole Roast Duck with Spiced, Braised Red Cabbage and Baby Spinach, Pomegranate, Walnut and Satsuma Salad

To get you in the festive mood, Barry Hancox from Russell’s of Broadway restaurant suggests roasting a duck and accompanying it with a medley of seasonal flavours – it’s different, it’s daring and it’s utterly delicious!

(Don’t worry – it’s an absolute doddle too!)

Ingredients

Whole Roast Duck

1 Whole fresh duckling weighing 2-2.5lbs
½ Peeled onion
sprig of thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper

Remove duck from the refrigerator at least ½ hour before roasting and allow to come to room temperature.
Put peeled onion and thyme inside duck cavity, place on a rack in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil.
Season well and roast at 180°C until golden brown and the juices run clear from the thigh.
Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Spiced Braised Red Cabbage

1 Head of red cabbage, shredded
80g raisins
zest of ½ orange
1 apple, peeled and grated
½ cinnamon stick
1 tsp mixed spice
1 star anise
100g unsalted butter

Place all of the above into a large stainless steel pan and then add:

Juice of 1 orange
600ml red wine
250ml balsamic or red wine vinegar

Cover with a lid, bring to boil, turn down and allow to simmer gently for around 2 hours
Check and stir regularly
For the last 20 minutes remove the lid and allow liquid to evaporate leaving a shiny and moist red cabbage. Add a little water during cooking if necessary to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

Pomegranate, Satsuma, Walnut and Baby Spinach Salad

1 ripe pomegranate, broken open and all seeds removed
4 satsumas, peeled and excess membrane peeled off and broken into natural segments
500g washed baby spinach
150g walnut halves
120ml olive oil
40ml sherry vinegar
salt and pepper

At the last minute, whisk the oil and sherry vinegar together and season
Put all the other ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing, toss and serve.

To serve

Put red cabbage onto plates, slice roasted duck on top.
Serve salad in a large bowl, separately, along with duck gravy made from giblets and roasting gravy.

To drink

Our wine expert, Matt from Vinology, recommends Omrah Pinot Noir £11.29

“Classic Aussie Pinot Noir: vibrant and mellow in style with a forceful bombardment of fresh cherry and strawberry fruit preceding a long lasting but supple finish. Ideal with duck dishes.”

Download this recipe as a PDF