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Slow-roast honey duck with watermelon salad

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

By Bryn Williams
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the honey duck

  • 1 x 2.5kg/5lb 8oz oven-ready whole duck
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, cracked
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, cracked
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 200g/7oz runny honey
  • 50ml/2fl oz light soy sauce

For the salad

  • ¼ watermelon, flesh cut into cubes
  • 200g/7oz breakfast radishes, trimmed and sliced
  • 20g/¾oz fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
  • 25–50ml/1–2fl oz red wine vinegar
  • 25ml/1fl oz runny honey
  • 4 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. To make the duck, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

  2. Score the duck skin 8–10 times on both sides with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut through to the meat. Place the duck on a wire rack and place the rack in a roasting tin. Sprinkle the peppercorns, coriander seeds and sea salt over the meat and rub the ingredients thoroughly into the skin.

  3. Roast the duck for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Carefully pour off any fat that has accumulated in the roasting tin into a jar. The fat will keep for 1 week in the fridge.

  4. Mix the honey and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Pour the honey mixture over the duck and put back in the oven for a further 1½ hours, basting every 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

  5. To make the salad, place the watermelon, radishes, coriander and spring onions in a bowl. Mix the vinegar with the honey and olive oil in a small bowl, then drizzle over the salad just before serving.

  6. Carve the duck and arrange the salad on four plates or bowls. Top with pieces of duck to serve.

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