Duck Roast with Couscous

Ingredients

• 1 duck (approx. 2.2 kg)
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 untreated oranges
• 2 tbsp honey
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 20 ml orange liqueur
• 100 ml poultry stock
• dark soy sauce
• 5 apricots
• 200 g Couscous
• 250 ml vegetable broth
• 1 handful mint
• 1 Pomegranate
• 1 chili pepper
• Salt
• a pinch ground cumin

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with fan and top heat.

2. 2.

   Rinse the duck, pat dry and remove excess fat. Separate wing tips and chop into small pieces. Place the fat and duck in a high baking tray or roasting pan, spread wings beside it. Season inside with salt and pepper.

3. 3.

   Wash one orange hot, dry, peel off skin down to the white part and roughly cube the fruit. Stuff cubes into the duck and secure with toothpicks. Brush duck with honey. Roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Squeeze remaining orange juice.

4. 4.

   Remove duck from oven, pour wine and about 100 ml of juice over it. Finish cooking at 160°C (320°F) for 1.5-2 hours.

5. 5.

   Meanwhile wash apricots, pit them, cut into wedges and mix with couscous. Pour boiling vegetable broth over couscous. Let sit for about 15 minutes, occasionally fluff with fork. Finely chop mint except for 1-2 stems to garnish. Halve pomegranate and release seeds. Rinse chili pepper. Set one aside, slice remaining, remove seeds and dice flesh. Mix mint, pomegranate seeds, and chili cubes into couscous, season with salt and cumin, keep warm.

6. 6.

   Take duck from tray and keep warm in oven at 120°C (250°F). Strain roasting juices through a sieve, skim fat. Transfer to saucepan and reduce. Add remaining juice, liqueur and stock. Refine with 2-3 pieces of orange zest and simmer until desired flavor. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Thicken with optional cornstarch if desired.

7. 7.

   Carve duck into slices. Arrange couscous on plate, place duck atop and drizzle sauce. Garnish with chili and mint before serving.