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    Home » Recipes » Chicken and poultry recipes

    Crispy roast duck with cherry sauce

    Published: Oct 31, 2021 · Modified: May 31, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

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    Crispy roast duck, cooked to perfection and smothered in a delicious cherry sauce makes a delicious meal for those occasions when you are wanting to spoil the family. And it's easier to make than you would think. Just put it in a covered roasting tin for a couple of hours, then remove the lid to allow the skin to turn golden and crispy. Smother it with my delicious and easy cherry sauce, and you have a meal that wouldn't be out of place in a fancy restaurant, with hardly any effort on your part.

    A whole crispy roast duck on a serving plate with roast potatoes, alongside a dish of vegetables and a bowl of cherry sauce.

    Cherry sauce goes so well with roast duck. The slight tartness from the cherries cuts through the fattiness of the duck perfectly.

    Jump to:
    • Crispy roast duck
    • Cherry Sauce
    • Tips for the best crispy duck
    • Ingredients
    • How to make it
    • Cherry sauce
    • Crispy roast potatoes
    • How to portion the duck
    • What are the cooking times for duck?
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Crispy roast duck

    Many people shy away from roasting a whole duck, mistakenly thinking it to be overly complicated. This is a pity because a duck is no more difficult to cook than a chicken, and to my mind tastes far superior.

    A properly roasted duck has a crispy skin, which is the poultry-world equivalent of pork crackling. The meat beneath the skin is moist and tender, thanks to the fat that renders from beneath the skin as it roasts and bastes the meat before dripping down into the roasting dish.

    There is not a huge amount of meat on a duck, compared to a chicken. Most of the meat is on the breast and legs, with very little on the carcass. To compensate you will need to buy a larger duck than you would a chicken. Given the exquisite taste of the roast duck though, it's worth a little extra expense to splash out on a meal like this occasionally.

    The fat that cooks out of the duck can be saved and used for making the crispiest roast potatoes. And you can store any remaining duck fat in a bottle in the refrigerator for at least 6 months.

    I like to serve this roast duck with roast potatoes (which have been cooked in some of the rendered duck fat) and a side dish of mixed steamed vegetables. And of course, the duck has to be smothered in the cherry sauce!

    Cherry Sauce

    I think this cherry sauce has to be the star of the show! It's sweet, it's tangy, it's thick and glossy, and it complements the flavour of the duck beautifully. Best of all it only takes 10 minutes to make.

    If you have fresh cherries you can use those, but frozen cherries from the supermarket work just as well. Frozen cherries will cook faster than fresh, and they also have the advantage of being de-stoned so they save you a bit of time.

    This cherry sauce not only goes with duck. It pairs beautifully with turkey or pork too. And it is especially good when served with a pork pie in place of chutney. You might also like to try it with roast chicken.

    A spoonful of cherry sauce, showing the thick glossy texture.

    Tips for the best crispy duck

    Roasting a duck is quite similar to roasting a chicken, but there are a few differences.

    • Get the duck skin as dry as possible. You can remove the duck from the packing and leave it uncovered on a shelf in the refrigerator either overnight, or at least for a couple of hours. Otherwise, just pat it with kitchen paper towels until it is completely dry.
    • If the duck has been in the refrigerator let it stand at room temperature for half an hour before cooking.
    • The skin of the duck should be scored or pricked to allow the layer of fat under the skin to render out properly. Some people like to cut a criss-cross pattern or make diagonal cuts across the skin, but I prefer the skin to stay whole, so I just pierce the skin all over with the point of a sharp knife.
    • Remove any excess fat from the duck before putting it in the roasting tin. You will see that most of the extra fat is inside the neck cavity, and also on the flap of skin around the tail area. You can add this fat into the roasting tin with the bird so it can render, or you can discard it.
    • Rub the skin all over with salt before putting the duck in the oven.
    • Don't add fat or oil to the roasting pan - there is more than enough fat in the duck.
    • Place the duck on a rack in the roasting pan to keep it out of the rendered fat. If you don't have a rack scrunch up a few balls of aluminium foil and place the duck on those.
    • Cook the duck in a covered roasting pan. Half an hour before the duck is ready, remove the lid and pour off most of the rendered fat, then return the pan to the oven and cook uncovered for the final half hour to crisp the skin.
    • Always rest the duck for at least 20 minutes after cooking to allow the juices to settle back into the meat. If you don't do this, the juices will run out of the meat when you carve the duck.

    Ingredients

    **Get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this crispy roast duck with cherry sauce on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    This will serve 4 people.

    Ingredients for crispy roast duck with cherry sauce.

    Duck - To feed a family of 4 people you will need a duck weighing between 5 and 6 pounds (that's 2.25 to 2 75 kilograms).

    Cherries - frozen cherries work very well for this sauce. You could use fresh cherries when they are in season, but you would have to remove all the cherry stones. If you do use fresh cherries, you will have to simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes longer to give the fresh cherries time to break down.

    Sherry - you can substitute this with port or even red wine. If you don't want to use alcohol, you can substitute it with extra stock and an additional tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

    Brown sugar for sweetness and to counteract the tartness of the vinegar.

    Balsamic vinegar - for tartness.

    Stock cube - I used a vegetable stock cube dissolved in boiling water. You could use a chicken stock cube if you prefer. If you have fresh stock to hand by all means use that instead.

    How to make it

    Roast duck

    Remove the giblets from the inside of the duck. You can use them to make duck stock, which can be added to casseroles or used as a base for gravy.

    If you are preparing this a day ahead, place the duck on a large plate (uncovered) and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to allow the skin to dry. Dry skin = crispy skin. Otherwise, if you are in a hurry, just pat the skin as dry as possible with a few sheets of kitchen paper towel.

    You can cut the wing tips off or leave them on. Some people enjoy crunching through the crispy wing tips 🙂

    Turn the duck breast side up and then prick the skin all over with the point of a sharp knife. Just pierce the skin and fat - try not to cut into the meat.

    Now rub the duck skin all over with about a teaspoon of salt.

    Place the duck on a rack in a roasting tin, tuck the wings underneath, cover the roasting tin with the lid (or aluminium foil) and roast it in the oven at 170C / 340F for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

    If you don't have a rack, just scrunch up a few balls of aluminium foil and rest the duck on those.

    A baking dish with balls of aluminium foil for resting the duck on as it cooks.

    The rack or the aluminium foil will keep the duck from sitting in the fat that will render from the bird as it cooks.

    Once the cooking time is up remove the duck from the oven and pour off most of the duck fat. Save this for making crispy roast potatoes.

    Return the duck to the oven (without the lid) and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden.

    The internal temperature of a cooked duck should be at least 74C / 165F.

    A roast duck with roast potatoes, showing the crispy skin.

    You can tell how crispy the skin is just by looking at it, yet the meat beneath is juicy and succulent.

    Remove the duck from the oven, cover it with the lid or with a sheet of aluminium foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

    Cherry sauce

    To make the cherry sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

    Cherry sauce being boiled in a saucepan.

    Turn down the heat until the cherries are just simmering and then leave to simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes.

    If you are using fresh cherries you may have to simmer for an additional few minutes.

    Crispy roast potatoes

    It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give you my method for making perfectly crispy roast potatoes (as shown in the photos with the duck) as an accompaniment.

    • I used baby potatoes in their skins because I love the way the skin crisps up like a mini baked potato. You can use your potato of choice and either peel them or not, whatever you prefer.
    • Place as many potatoes as you think your family will eat into a saucepan. Add salt to taste and then cover with cold water.
    • Bring the potatoes to a boil and leave them to cook for about 7 minutes until you can just pierce the potatoes with a knife.
    • Drain the potatoes.
    • Pour 4 or 5 tablespoons of duck fat into a roasting tray and allow it to heat in the oven for about 5 minutes.
    • Add the par-boiled potatoes. Turn the potatoes to coat them in the duck fat, then sprinkle with a little extra salt. This helps the potatoes crisp up.
    • Top tip - line the pan with aluminium foil before adding the duck fat and the potatoes - it makes washing up so much easier.
    • Place the dish of potatoes in the oven either next to or below the duck and leave them for about half an hour or until they are crispy and golden.
    • If your oven is on the small side, you can cook the potatoes while the duck is resting.

    How to portion the duck

    Once again this is a matter of preference.

    You could just carve slices from the duck using a sharp carving knife.

    I prefer to separate the breasts and the leg meat as follows:

    • Using a sharp knife, make a slit along one side of the breastbone and carefully cut away the breast. Repeat with the other side.
    • Cut each breast into slices so that you have a piece of meat, topped with the crispy skin.
    A duck breast cut into slices each with a piece of crispy skin.
    • Pull the legs away from the carcass. They should come away easily but you may need a knife to help you. Then slice through between the thigh and the drumstick.

    Cutting the duck in this way means that everyone can have some white meat (breast) and some dark (legs).

    Slices of crispy roast duck covered with cherry sauce on a plate with vegetables.

    However you decide to carve it, be sure to cover the duck with the delicious cherry sauce!

    And of course, no roast dinner would be complete without the addition of these sage and onion stuffing balls!

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    What are the cooking times for duck?

    Some websites recommend roasting a duck (uncovered) at quite a high temperature (200C/400F) for 40 minutes per kilogram, plus an extra 20 minutes. For a 2 kg duck this would work out at 100 minutes, or 1 hour and 40 minutes. I've found that this sometimes results in a duck that is quite tough.
    I much prefer this way of roasting a duck (covered) at a lower temperature (170C/340F) for 45 minutes per kilogram plus an extra 20 minutes, which works out at 1 hour and 50 minutes for a 2 kg duck, and then allowing another 20 minutes or so to crisp the skin.

    Save for later

    If you would like to try this crispy roast duck with cherry sauce for yourself, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily when you need it? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

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    📋The recipe

    A whole crispy roast duck on a serving plate with roast potatoes, alongside a dish of vegetables and a bowl of cherry sauce.

    Crispy roast duck with cherry sauce

    Crispy roast duck, cooked to perfection and smothered in a delicious cherry sauce makes a delicious meal for those occasions when you are wanting to spoil the family. And it's easier to make than you would think. Just put it in a covered roasting tin for a couple of hours, then remove the lid to allow the skin to turn golden and crispy. Smother it with my delicious and easy cherry sauce, and you have a meal that wouldn't be out of place in a fancy restaurant, with hardly any effort on your part.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    British
    Calories 683
    Prep 15 minutes minutes
    Resting time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    4.25 from 4 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Large roasting pan with lid
    • Small saucepan
    • Sharp Knife

    Ingredients

    Duck

    • 5 - 6 lb / 2.35 to 2.75 kg duck
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Cherry sauce

    • ¾ cup / 150 grams frozen cherries
    • 2 tablespoons / 25ml sherry
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    • 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water

    Instructions

    Duck

    • Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F
    • Remove the giblets from the duck.
    • If you are preparing this a day ahead, place the duck on a large plate (uncovered) and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to allow the skin to dry. Dry skin = crispy skin. Otherwise, if you are in a hurry, just pat the skin as dry as possible with a few sheets of kitchen paper towel.
      5 - 6 lb / 2.35 to 2.75 kg duck
    • Turn the duck breast side up and then prick the skin all over with the point of a sharp knife. Just pierce the skin and fat - try not to cut into the meat.
    • Rub the duck skin all over with about a teaspoon of salt.
      1 teaspoon salt
    • Place the duck on a rack in a roasting tin, tuck the wings underneath, cover the roasting tin with the lid (or aluminium foil,) and roast it in the oven at 170C / 340F for 1 hour and 50 minutes.
    • Once the cooking time is up remove the duck from the oven and pour off most of the duck fat. Save this for making crispy roast potatoes.
    • Return the duck to the oven (without the lid) and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden.
    • Remove the duck from the oven, cover it with the lid or with a sheet of aluminium foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

    Cherry Sauce

    • Combine all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
      ¾ cup / 150 grams frozen cherries, 2 tablespoons / 25ml sherry, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 chicken stock cube
    • Turn down the heat until the cherries are just simmering and then leave to simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes.
    • Serve warm, spooned over slices of crispy roast duck.

    Notes

    Cherry sauce
    Substitute the sherry with either port or red wine.  For a non-alcoholic version substitute with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon extra stock.
    Taste the cherry sauce halfway through the cooking time and adjust according to taste.  For more sweetness add extra brown sugar, for tartness add another splash of vinegar.
    You can make this sauce with fresh cherries, in which case you should simmer for at least an extra 5 minutes to give the cherries time to break down.
    To make crispy roast potatoes
    • Use as many small baby potatoes as you think your family will eat (I normally allow 3 small potatoes per person).
    • Parboil the potatoes for 7 minutes until just starting to soften, then drain them through a colander.
    • Place 4 or 5 tablespoons of the duck fat into a roasting tray and heat it in the oven.
    • Add the par-boiled potatoes. Turn the potatoes to coat them in the duck fat, then sprinkle with a little extra salt.
    • Place the dish of potatoes in the oven either next to or below the duck and leave them for about half an hour or until they are crispy and golden.
    • If your oven is on the small side, you can cook the potatoes while the duck is resting.
    Nutrition has been calculated for the duck and cherry sauce only and does not include potatoes or any other vegetables that may be served alongside the duck.

      Nutrition

      Calories - 683kcal | Carbohydrates - 8.1g | Protein - 18.7g | Fat - 62.5g | Saturated Fat - 21g | Cholesterol - 121mg | Sodium - 971mg | Potassium - 386mg | Fiber - 0.5g | Sugar - 7g | Calcium - 28mg | Iron - 4mg

      I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

      Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
      All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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      About VJ

      Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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      Comments

        4.25 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      1. AJ

        October 02, 2022 at 8:21 pm

        Hi! I used chopped dried cherries simmered in Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry. Makes a great sauce anytime and is especially good with this dish.

        Reply
        • VJ

          October 03, 2022 at 7:34 am

          What a great idea, thanks for sharing!

          Reply
      2. Elizabeth

        December 26, 2021 at 6:01 am

        3 stars
        Well . . . the final result was tasty. But:
        1) The skin did not brown, although I let the duck sit uncovered in the fridge overnight, pierced the skin all over, and followed the directions. When it had been cooking uncovered for nearly 40 minutes, it was still not brown. I ran it under the broiler for about 7 minutes and that got the skin acceptably brown, but I wouldn't call it "crispy" at all.
        2) Almost all the fat burned onto the bottom of the pan (and no, I didn't have the oven at high heat, and this happened before I used the broiler) so there was nowhere near enough usable fat for the potatoes. I had to use olive oil instead, which is fine but was disappointing because I'd been looking forward to duck fat.
        3) The cherry sauce was very good, but it would not thicken/reduce. I had to use a little cornstarch slurry to get it to a workable consistency.

        So, the cherry sauce is a keeper, but I'll look for another method of roasting the duck.

        Reply
        • VJ

          December 26, 2021 at 2:55 pm

          Oh no - I'm so sorry to hear that. This is the only way I ever roast a duck and I've never had a problem with it.
          I am in the UK and I normally buy Greshingham ducks, although I have tried it with ducks from other producers with no problems.
          Did you add the duck fat from the neck cavity to the roasting tray? What was the weight of your duck? I based my cooking times on a 2kg (about 4.5 pounds) duck so if your duck was smaller you would need less cooking time.
          I'm not sure why the cherry sauce didn't thicken. I use plain frozen cherries (frozen without any juice) and find they thicken nicely. But I'm glad you managed to salvage the sauce with the addition of cornflour!

          Reply
          • Elizabeth

            December 29, 2021 at 12:21 am

            Thanks for this kind reply. My duck was 5.5 pounds, so I figured it would need a bit longer and gave it that. I'm not sure what kind of duck it was -- it was organic and minimally processed (so no injected water or anything like that) but I don't remember the brand name.

            I did not add the fat from the neck cavity, and maybe that was the problem. The duck seemed so plump that I didn't think I'd need that extra fat! The meat was good -- tender and juicy -- and we did like the cherry sauce very much. I think my frozen cherries had juice with them so that was probably the trouble there.

            Reply

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