Roast Duck Legs

When you’ve had a great day and brought home a wild mallard from the Plain, this method gives you shatter-crisp skin and tender meat with a glossy, well-balanced pan sauce.

Serves: 2 (scale as needed)

Prep: 10 minutes (+ optional overnight dry-brine)

Cook: 1 hr–1 hr 20 mins (wild legs tend to take longer)

Ingredients

• 2 duck legs

• 1 tsp fine sea salt (or ¾ tsp if dry-brining overnight)

• Freshly ground black pepper

• ½ tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

• ½ tsp crushed juniper berries (optional but excellent with duck)

• 1 small orange or clementine (zest only; save the juice)

• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

• 100ml dry cider, dry white wine, or light game/chicken stock

• 1 tsp redcurrant jelly or honey (to balance)

• 1 tsp sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar (to brighten)

To serve (choose a couple): buttered cavolo nero/savoy, parsnip purée or mash, roast potatoes (ideally in duck fat), braised red cabbage.

Field note: If using wild birds, run your fingers over the legs as you prep and remind diners about the small chance of a stray pellet.

Optional Overnight Dry-Brine (best texture)

Pat legs very dry. Sprinkle evenly with ¾ tsp salt, pepper, thyme, and juniper. Add orange zest. Refrigerate uncovered on a rack 8–24 hrs to dry the skin and season the meat. (If skipping, season 15–30 mins before cooking with 1 tsp salt.)

Method

1) Start low to render and tenderise

1. Heat oven to 160°C (140°C fan) / Gas 3.

2. Place the onion/shallots and garlic in a small roasting tin. Lay duck legs on top skin-side up, not touching. (Cold pan is fine - skin will render gradually.)

3. Roast 45–60 minutes until most of the fat has rendered, the skin is beginning to colour, and the meat feels springy but not tight.

   • Wild legs often need closer to 60 mins; farmed around 45-50 mins.

2) Make it golden and crisp

4. Increase oven to 210°C (190°C fan) / Gas 6–7.

5. Spoon off excess fat (save it for roasties). Splash 50ml of the cider/wine/stock into the tray to prevent scorching.

6. Roast a further 12–18 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crisps when tapped.

3) Quick pan sauce (in the same tin)

7. Transfer legs to a warm plate to rest 5–10 minutes.

8. Place the roasting tin on the hob over medium heat. Add remaining 50ml liquid, scrape up the sticky bits, and simmer 2–3 minutes.

9. Whisk in 1 tsp redcurrant jelly or honey and a teaspoon of vinegar. Season to taste. If you saved the orange, squeeze in a tablespoon of juice to lift the sauce. Strain if you like, or keep the soft onions in.

Done when…

• Skin is glassy-crisp and well browned.

• Meat pulls from the bone with gentle pressure (internal temp ~75–80°C at the thickest point).

Variations

• Garlic & Herb: Scatter rosemary and a bay leaf in the tray; finish sauce with a knob of butter.

• Orange & Five-Spice: Skip juniper; dust legs lightly with Chinese five-spice before roasting; reduce sauce with orange juice.

• Juniper & Port: Deglaze with 50ml ruby port + 50ml stock; fabulous with parsnip purée.

• Braised-then-Blast (very wild/older legs): After the first 45–60 mins at 160°C, cover tightly with foil and 100ml stock; braise 20–30 mins more until tender, then uncover and crisp at 220°C for 8–10 mins.

Sides that love duck

• Duck-fat roast potatoes (use rendered fat from the tray).

• Bitter greens (kale/cavolo nero with lemon).

• Something sweet-sharp (spiced red cabbage, quick orange-zest carrots).

No-waste tip

• Rendered duck fat: Strain into a jar; keeps weeks chilled. Perfect for potatoes or for starting a game gravy.