Roasted Duck with Apples and Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg duck (prepped for cooking)
• 4 apples
• 4 red onions
• 200 g cooked chestnuts
• 1 tsp dried sweet basil (dried)
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 0.5 l poultry broth

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the duck inside and out under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off the wing tips and neck, then cut both into large pieces.

2. 2.

   Wash the apples. Quarter two apples, remove cores and roughly dice. From the remaining two, scoop out the cores and slice into rounds. Peel and quarter the onions. Combine apple cubes and half of the onions with chestnuts in a bowl. Add sweet basil, marjoram, salt, pepper, and orange zest; mix well.

3. 3.

   Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Wash thyme and shake dry. Roughly tear about 2 tsp of leaves to rub on the outside of the duck and fill it with the apple–onion–chestnut mixture. Tie the opening with kitchen twine and place in a roasting pan breast side down. Pour about 500 ml water into the pan and roast in a preheated oven at 180 °C (convection: 160 °C, gas: level 2‑3) for 2 hours. Periodically spoon over the drippings and turn the duck after one hour. After 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking, add apple slices, remaining onion quarters, and leftover chestnuts.

4. 4.

   Remove the finished duck from the pan and strain the roasting liquid through a sieve. Skim off excess fat and set aside.

5. 5.

   In a pot, brown the wings and neck in the drippings (add 1‑2 tbsp duck fat if needed) over medium heat. Add broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, switch the oven to grill mode. Brush the duck with lightly salted water and crisp under the preheated grill for about 8 minutes.

6. 6.

   Strain the sauce through a sieve, season with salt and pepper, and stir in 1‑2 tbsp duck fat if desired. Add apple slices, onion quarters, and chestnuts back into the pan.

7. 7.

   Remove the twine from the duck and arrange it on a plate. Spoon vegetables, fruit, and sauce over it. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve.