Duck à l'Orange (Canard à l'Orange)

Crisp-skinned roast duck legs served with a glossy sweet-sharp orange sauce flavoured with Grand Marnier.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1h 40m
Total: 2 hours
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 4 duck legs (about 250g each)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 4 oranges, 2 juiced and 2 cut into segments (pith removed)
  • Zest of 1 orange, in fine strips
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp Grand Marnier
  • 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
  • 15g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • Watercress, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Prick the duck skin all over with a fork, rub generously with salt and pepper and place the legs skin-side up on a rack set over a roasting tin.

  2. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes until the skin is golden and the meat is tender, spooning off the fat after 45 minutes (keep it for roasting potatoes). Increase the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) for the final 10 minutes to crisp the skin.

  3. Meanwhile, heat the sugar and vinegar in a small pan over a medium heat without stirring, until it becomes a deep golden caramel.

  4. Carefully add the orange juice and stock, stand back as it will spit, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until reduced by half. Add the orange strips and Grand Marnier.

  5. Stir in the cornflour paste and simmer for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Whisk in the butter for a glossy finish and season to taste.

  6. Rest the duck for 5 minutes. Serve the legs with the sauce spooned over, the orange segments and watercress.