Roasted Duck with Cherries
Finite Cellars Wine pairing: 2024 Gemini Vineyard Pinot Noir
Recipe Origin: Vitaly Paley, Paley’s Place Cookbook
Scale of difficulty: A little prep and a long, slow roast in the oven (7/10)
Back to the Paley’s Place Cookbook for another one of Ben’s favorite recipes to make for us. One-pot meals are really great once the prep is done, since you can sit back, relax, and let the aromas of dinner slowly fill the house. This soul-satisfying roasted duck pulls off the bone with the veggies bound together by the pan drippings and aromatic spices and herbs. The red wine stewed cherry sauce and our Gemini Pinot Noir pair perfectly with the gamy flavors coming from the duck and the vegetables cooked in the fat.
Paley’s Place roast duck with cherries
Pinch of ground cloves
8 star anise (available at Asian markets)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds
1 large onion, quartered
1 large turnip, peeled and quartered
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole Muscovy duck (4 to 5 pounds)
Duck neck and giblets (optional; leave out the liver)
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cups fresh Bing cherries, pitted
3 cups red wine (we used Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages for a fruit forward Gamay Noir)
1/4 cup sugar
2 bulbs garlic, separated into cloves
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind 6 star anise; place in a small bowl and mix with ground cloves and cinnamon. In a roasting pan large enough to hold duck, add potatoes, carrots, onion, turnip, and sweet potato. Sprinkle with half of spice mixture, some salt and pepper, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss until uniformly seasoned and coated with oil.
Rinse duck in cold water and pat dry; rub all over with remaining spice mixture and olive oil. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Place duck, breast side up, on top of vegetables in roasting pan. Add neck and organs (if using), along with thyme, bay leaves, and 2 cinnamon sticks. Tuck wings behind neck, cover pan tightly with aluminum foil, and roast for 2 hours.
In a saucepan, combine cherries, red wine, sugar, and remaining whole star anise and cinnamon stick. Cook over low heat until cherries are soft and wine has reduced to a syrup, about 30 minutes. Reserve about 3 tablespoons for glazing duck. Transfer rest to a small serving bowl for use as a compote; set aside and keep warm.
After duck has cooked for 2 hours, remove foil and baste with pan juices. Add garlic, replace foil, and cook until meat starts pulling away from the bone, about 2 hours more.
Remove from oven and discard foil. Brush duck with cherry-wine syrup and roast until skin gets crispy and dark brown, at least another 15 minutes.
Carefully transfer whole duck to a large serving platter; let it rest uncovered while assembling other elements of dish. Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to a large bowl, letting excess fat drip away. Pick off neck meat and thinly slice giblets; add them to vegetables. Mash together, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Carve duck at the table. Serve with mashed vegetables, cherry compote and a glass of our 2024 Gemini Pinot Noir.