Chile Dusted Duck with South of the Border Stuffing
Submitted by beegirl2337
Chile-dusted roast duck stuffed with jalapenos, Granny Smith apples, pine nuts, cilantro, and bread cubes. A Southwestern twist on classic roast duck.
This Southwestern roast duck gets dusted with red chile powder and stuffed with a bold mix of jalapenos, Granny Smith apples, pine nuts, cilantro, and bread cubes. The heat from the chiles, the tartness of the apples, and the herby freshness of cilantro make this stuffing completely different from any traditional bread-and-sage version.
Pricking the skin at one-inch intervals before roasting is the key to dealing with duck fat. Those tiny holes let the thick layer of subcutaneous fat render out slowly during the long, low roast, so the bird essentially bastes itself for three hours. The skin tightens and crisps while the fat drains away.
The chile powder dusted on the outside creates a warm, ruddy crust that looks as good as it tastes. Roasting low and slow keeps the breast meat from drying out while the legs and thighs cook through.
Chef Tips
- Prick only the skin, not the meat underneath. Piercing the meat lets juices escape and dries out the breast.
- Don’t stuff the duck until right before roasting. Raw stuffing sitting inside a raw bird is a food safety risk.
- Let the duck rest for 15 minutes after pulling from the oven. The juices redistribute and the stuffing finishes cooking from residual heat.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Roast duck with stuffing is as easy to prepare as a turkey or a chicken, though it is doubtful that the Conquistadors at the first Thanksgiving took the time to stuff the ducks before roasting.
In these days of lean and no fat meals, many people refuse to consider duck becuase it is perceived as being extremely fatty.
Several simple steps, however, can greatly reduce the fat content.
First, if the skin is pricked before cooking, much of the fat will drain off.
Secondly, removing the skin before serving will lower the fat content even further.
(1) 4½ to 5 pound duck, remove giblets and neck from inside wash and pat dry ground red chile powder Sprinkle the inside cavity of the duck with salt.
Sauté the chiles and onion in the margarine until soft.
Combine the mixture with the apples, bread cubes, nuts, and cilantro, and toss gently to mix.
Fill the neck and body cavities loosely with stuffing.
Skewer the neck shut and cover the opening of the body cavity with aluminum foil and tie the legs together.
To be safe, do not stuff until you are ready to cook.
Place the duck on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
With sharp fork, prick the skin at 1-inch intervals, being careful not to prick the meat or it will dry out.
This is to allow the duck to continuously self-baste so you can put it in the oven and forget it.
Dust the duck with the chile powder.
Bake in slow oven, 325℉ (160℃)., about 3 hours or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
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