Roast mallard duck - JAEGERINDEN

In Denmark, it is usually a tradition to serve duck on Christmas Eve. Many of us have ducks in the freezer. So why buy one when you have the privilege of serving some of the best wild meat to your family? Here's my favorite way to cook a wild duck full of Christmas flavor.

**Ingredients**

4 persons
**To the second:**
2 wild ducks (the recipe uses mallard duck)
2 tbsp. butter
1 apple
2 white onions
2 oranges
2 carrots
1 handful of apricots
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

**For the sauce:**
300 ml duck stock (preferably make your own in advance)
2 tablespoons wheat flour
2 tbsp. butter
100 ml cream
1 tsp. currant jelly
3 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Brown sauce (sauce colour) - optional
**For the sugar-browned potatoes:**
1 kg small potatoes
80 g white sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
25 g butter

**For the Christmas salad**
2 handfuls kale, thinly sliced
2 handfuls red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 handful apricots, cut in half
1 handful of dates, sliced
½ red onion, sliced
½ apple, thinly sliced
½ orange, thinly sliced
½ tbsp apple vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Prepare the wild ducks for cooking by cleaning them. Sprinkle with sea salt, both inside and out, and rub the salt into the skin. Meanwhile, slice the apple, onion, carrot, apricot and orange. Fill the ducks with as many fruits and vegetables as possible and place the rest on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, place the stuffed duck on top of the vegetables and set aside.
Next, we prepare our potatoes. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until you can easily run a knife through them. Set them aside.
For our Christmas menu we will also prepare a nice, fresh winter salad. Cut green and red kale into thin slices. Cut apricots and dates, and slice red onion and orange. Mix everything in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix olive oil, apple vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix the dressing into the salad. Set it aside until you are ready to serve it.
Every roast needs a good, rich sauce. But before we get started on this one, turn your oven on to 200° so it's ready for the ducks in the next step. Ideally, you can have prepared some duck stock in advance and use it now to speed up the process. For the sauce, put butter in a pan and melt the butter over a low heat. When the butter starts to bubble, slowly add plain flour, whisking constantly until the mixture forms a solid mass. Keep whisking until the mixture turns light brown, but not too dark. Slowly add the duck stock, whisking constantly. Add the stock until you get the consistency you like. Add cream and currant jelly, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer over a low heat. Remember to whisk occasionally.
Back to the wild ducks. Your ducks are stuffed and resting on a baking sheet on top of onions, apples and carrots. In a frying pan over high heat, add butter and fresh rosemary. When the butter starts to bubble, take the wild ducks and fry them briefly on each side until browned all over. This takes about 3-4 minutes. Place the ducks back on the baking tray and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. A perfectly cooked wild duck should still be pink inside. Roasting time depends on the size of the duck. To be sure, you can use a meat thermometer. The cooking time for duck is 149°. When the duck is cooked through, the duck should rest for 8-10 minutes. before serving.
While the ducks are in the oven, you can finish the sugar-browned potatoes. This requires a little patience. Sprinkle the sugar in an even layer on a cold pan. Turn the heat to medium and let the sugar melt until it turns light brown. Do not whisk or stir the sugar at all. Be patient. When it starts to bubble, add the butter and you start whisking until it turns into a delicious brown caramel. Now add the potatoes to the pan and fry over a low/medium heat for about 10 minutes. until they are well covered on all sides.
Before serving, take a look at the sauce and add a little sauce brown (gravy color) if you like. Slice the duck, plate up and enjoy a lovely Christmas dinner.