Corona Cookbook: Duck Legs

Orange Ginger Sauce

At Stop and Shop we bought three duck legs.

Piercing the skin to render fat they were placed in an iron skillet.

At 250 the duck was slow roasted for two hours.

The fat was poured off and saved.

Timed for dinner the legs were returned to the oven at 350.

Check after a half hour.

For further browning and crispness, the oven was increased to 400.

Then another fifteen minutes.

For the sauce.

We used a copper pot into which we scraped the skillet drippings.

Added a splash of the saved fat.

Then pulp orange juice was the base.

If you insist, squeeze fresh oranges.

And grate some zest.

Commercial OJ was just fine.

Flavor with a generous handful of minced fresh ginger.

There are many fruit options with oranges and cherries most common.

For this meal we added dried cranberries.

Liquor options usually entail brandy.

This time we used white port wine which was terrific.

A splash of light soy.

Reduce the sauce to burn off alcohol.

To thicken we use arrowroot flour stirred into water.

That makes a clear, dense gravy.

As a side dish we sautéed Lacinato kale over caramelized Vidalia onion.

One leg each was sufficient.

On another night we split the third leg.

There was enough sauce left for a leftover’s meal.

If not, it can be refreshed with more orange juice and port.

This proved to be an easy but special meal.

On another night we will use duck breasts.

We have served them in the past and are simple to prepare.

Boneless breast is more elegant and expensive.

OUr legs were devoured Henry VIII style.

Which meant picking them up.

Then tossing the bones over our shoulders.

To be pounced on by ravenous Irish Wolfhounds.

Rented for the occasion; a feast for a king.