Duck with Turnips

Name: Duck with Turnips
Ingredients: 2 kg duck; 1 lemon cut into slices; Salt and white pepper; 250 ml (1 cup) duck or chicken stock; 250 ml (1 cup) white wine; Demi-glaze sauce:; 30 ml (2 tablespoons) butter; 15 ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 1 stick of celery, finely chopped; 4 mushrooms, finely chopped; 15 ml (1 tablespoon) cake flour; 5 ml (1 teaspoon) tomato paste; Sprigs of thyme, parsley and 1 bay leave; 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock; Salt and white pepper to taste; Vegetables:; 500 gm baby turnips, peeled and left whole; 16 baby onions peeled; 30 ml (2 tablespoons) butter; 15 ml (1 tablespoon) sugar; 6 carrots, cleaned and cut into large chunks; 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into half

Look out for baby turnips when planning to roast your duck. The flavour is sweet and nutty and goes so well with the richness of the duck. The demi-glaze sauce is a bit of a bother but it is so worth it. You can prepare it in advance and keep it in the freezer.

Published 29 April 2023

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
Wash the duck clean and remove excess fat from the inside. Wipe dry and season with salt and white pepper. Place the lemon slices in the inside of the duck. Place the duck in a roasting pan and pour over 1 cup of the stock. Roast in the oven for 1 ½ hours, basting every now and then
Prepare the demi-glaze sauce. Heat the butter and the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped vegetables. Cook over medium heat until they start to colour. Mix in the flour and brown over slow heat. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan until you have a good nut brown colour. Draw the pan aside and stir in the 2 cups of stock and the tomato paste. Add the herbs. Stir over low heat until you have a smooth sauce. Simmer over very low heat for 40 minutes, and skim the scum from time to time. Add more cold stock from time to time to bring up the scum and keep skimming. That way you will get a beautiful clear sauce. Cook the sauce until syrupy. Set aside.
Now the vegetables. Blanch the turnips in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Blanch the onions for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the turnips, onions and sugar. Cook over low heat until they are tender and nicely caramelized. Set aside and keep warm.
Parboil the potatoes and carrots for 15 minutes. Drain. Add the potatoes and carrots to the duck in the roasting pan.
When the duck is cooked, carefully remove it from the roasting pan along with the potatoes and carrots. Place on a serve platter and keep warm. Drain off all the fat in the roasting pan. Add the wine and deglaze the roasting pan, scraping the bottom to dislodge all the brown bits. Add to the demi-glaze sauce and simmer until syrupy. Check the seasoning. You might want to add a squeeze of lemon juice. Keep warm
Carve the duck into portions and place on the serving platter along with the roasted potatoes, carrots, turnips and baby onions. Spoon a bit of the sauce over the duck and serve the remaining sauce on the side. Serve at once.