Whoa! Congratulations on the outcome!!

This is the kind of dish that deserves its own plate, with some rice or wild grains to dam it. In you want green veg with it, something fairly dry and self contained would work, like steamed broccoli or green beans would work. I'd rather a green salad before or after.

I love the idea of rice with it! What about green beans amandine?

Actually, what do you think about asparagus? Wouldn't that be good with the oranges?

I think asparagus is too much itself and it could clash with the duck. Green beens have enough flavor to stand, and should go well, but I think better plain roasted or steamed. I don't think the almonds would play well, and would turn the beans into a rival rather than accomaniment. There are no rules, though, especially for a home meal. If you and the kid and the less important but not to be forgotten friend will like it, go for it. Good food is good food, and you don't have to go full European and squish it all together on the back of your fork. For a composed meal, however, additions should be very carefully chosen. Totally your choice.

I typically serve wild rice with it, but rice pilaf is also good. Sometimes I add peas and carrots to rice pilaf (not wild rice), and sometimes I add broccoli and celery. When adding broccoli, I cook the stems sliced very thinly with the rice and then add the florets near the end of cooking. When done, I stir them in so that the rice will help them stay hot.

I never add vegetables to wild rice, other than onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

I think plain steam asparagus would be lovely with it and a wild rice pilaf. It's not really asparagus season, but I sometimes get some decent from Mexico this time of year. Trader Joe's usually has some nice organic asparagus, year round.

I would like pommes sarladaises and a fresh green veg. Potatoes sliced and cooked in duck fat with garlic and parsley added at the end.

I'm with Islay. Nothing excessive because the duck is the star. The rich meat and sweet sauce don't need anything more than a fresh green foil and some spuds. When I cook duck I do potatoes and root veg roasted in the duck fat and something plain like steamed or lightly boiled kale or cabbage. Definitely nothing rich like pumpkin pie.

Another vote for a simple green side that's not too strongly flavored or rich - a green veggie with a little butter, S&P, and maybe a pinch of spice.

Cabbage is a traditional accompaniment for duck...

Got a little ahead of myself... multiple meals, pumpkin pie doesn't go with it.

Congratulations on the clean pictures, and enjoy the visit.

I also vote for rice with the duck and pumpkin pie with whatever you want to cook with it. Give me a nice piece of pumpkin pie and I wouldn't really care what dinner was. Well, I might, because I'd have to have a potato in a meal or two sometime in there, LOL.

Annie

Congratulations on your good news, Rob333.

Enjoy seeing you son and have a delicious dinner. I love duck.

Great news, Rob! I’m so happy for you that your issue was cleared up with meds and the very restricted diet is not necessary.

Hank Shaw of Hunt, Gather, Cook suggests mashed potatoes, mashed celery root (I think that would be too strong), or polenta.

I’m in the pro-green salad camp. I’m firmly in the anti-asparagus camp. I’m an asparagus lover, but I’m soooo burnt out on asparagus.

I think I agree, it will work best not to gild the lily; I am convinced. I was thinking potatoes roasted with the duck. Maybe. It sounds easier and uses duck fat.

Rob, Hank Shaw suggest roasting root vegetable with his duck! Sounds like the potatoes roasted in the duck fat would be divine!

It depends on how you fell about fat. Potatoes roasted in duck fat are delicious---and greasy. For the duck, which is going to be fatty even if you trim it well, I would want something that isn't already greasy--not pilaf, and certainly not potatoes and or vegetables cooked in the fat. All of that is delicious, and saving the fat for another night to make potatoes to go with plain roast chicken or similar would be great. For the duck, rice or any grain, plain, to soak up the sauce, which is sweet and greasy, would be great, or plain roasted potatoes, or crusty bread. Wild rice (the real kind, which isn't rice), which was mentioned before, would be delightful.

In our household, we say "You had me at duck fat!" We're great with it. No worries. We'll see how it goes.

This is all about baby. They're coming home Friday evening, which means an 8+ hour drive, after their ride gets off at 5. Though, they gain an hour coming this way. I guess I'm not the only one who can't wait 😉

Oh! Well if it's duck fat a l'orange with a side of duck, go for it. :D Your baby is still young enough to enjoy that. :)

If the duck is excessively fatty it has been poorly cooked. And potatoes roasted in duck fat are no greasier than potatoes roasted in any other oil or fat. You only use a small amount. Properly done they are crisp and rustle in the pan. Nor should the sauce be greasy, nor excessively sweet.

(actually? I boil the duck to render fat before I roast it)

I'm not worried about it being greasy for either the duck or the potatoes. I think we're good to go.

😉

Just drain the duck regularly throughout the roasting and no, it's not at all greasy!

Pouring a kettle of boiling water over the duck before roasting and letting it dry will help crisp up the skin but I wouldn't bother to boil it. Just prick the skin, put the duck on a rack and pour off excess fat from the pan as it roasts, if necessary. (Personally I don't bother since the duck is held well above the drippings. I do that after roasting and before making gravy or sauce.)

It's getting close to time! I just bought the duck. Can't wait to hug my [adult] baby! Thanks for all the advice :)

Happy Reunion, indeed!

My offline friends had the same reactions I did, so I'm guessing it's local perception here. Re ”cooked in the fat”, I was thinking in, like confit, rather than with a drizzle.

Rob, I'm sure your baby will love it, and love the feeling of having a special feast for the welcome home.

Use the duck fat with the potatoes. Better? ;)

P.S. This is the recipe we last used. I liked it pretty well.

Roasted Whole Duck

Ingredients For Simmering:

• 1 (5- to 6-pound) duck
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled, trimmed, and quartered
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, with stems
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 peppercorns

Ingredients For Roasting:

• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 1 orange, cut into eighths
• 1 small onion, peeled, trimmed, and quartered
• 2 cloves garlic

Simmering the Duck

Remove giblets from duck cavity, and cut off wing tips. Trim excess fat and skin from the body openings.

Using a small paring knife, poke holes all over the duck's breast, legs, and back. Insert the knife at an angle to avoid penetrating the meat. There is about 1/4 inch of fat beneath the skin on the breasts and thighs and about 1/8 inch on the legs and back; insert as deeply as possible without making a cut more than about 1/2 inch long.

Place the duck in a large stockpot. Add onion, carrots, celery, neck, wing tips, and giblets. Add enough water to completely cover duck. Remove duck from the pot. Add parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and place pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that forms.

Carefully return duck to the pot, bring back to a boil, and then immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Place a plate with a heavy can on top of the duck to keep it submerged, and simmer for 45 minutes, removing any additional scum as it forms but allowing fat to accumulate.

Remove duck, and pat dry, being careful to avoid tearing the skin. Cool to room temperature. At this point, you can move on to roasting, or you can refrigerate the duck on a dish, uncovered, which forces some additional fat out as the skin contracts and produces a crispier skin.

Strain the stock, discarding solids, and refrigerate it overnight. The fat will rise to the top and you can skim that off. Freeze and save the fat for up to a year. The stock can be reduced (concentrated) and used for making gravy (with some of the duck fat) or reserved for other uses.

Roasting the Duck

If you refrigerated the bird, remove from refrigerator, and warm on the counter for 3 hours.

Heat oven to 500 F. Place an oven rack one level up from the bottom and heat a roasting pan that can hold a roasting rack. Don't heat the rack.

Mix together orange zest, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Sprinkle half the mixture inside the duck, and sprinkle remaining on the outside, patting to make it stick.

Stuff the cavity with the orange, onion, and garlic, and roast the duck on the rack for 30 minutes (rotate front to back after 15 minutes).

Remove from oven, and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

Tip

Instead of gravy, sauce your duck with cranberry coulis. The tartness of the berries cuts through the rich, fatty meat of the duck.

Rob, it may be too late for this, but I saw this recipe for pumpkin tart the other day and thought it looked delicious. Only 5 ingredients (not including the shell). https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzTjaqWuoO1/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

It's not late. But I can't get to it?

Bummer. Perhaps you have to be signed up for Instagram to see it. If so, I did not realize that. I thought you could see anything. And when I go to 177 Milk Street’s website, I would have to sign up to see the recipe there. Oh, well. Sorry.

Perhaps your child or the driver-friend has Instagram and can get to the recipe. It is a post on 177 Milk Street. Below is the main header for the Instagram page and then a picture of the pumpkin tart post.

tried a different computer, and I can get to the Instagram version. Yay! Thank you.

Wonder how this whipped cream would taste with the pumpkin tart? I use it when I make pumpkin cheesecake. I would love to give the source, but I’ve lost it. It might have been Cooks Illustrated

Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream

Makes about 3 cups

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons bourbon

In bowl of standing mixer, whisk heavy cream, sour cream, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve cheesecake, at least 4 hours or up to 24, stirring once or twice during chilling to ensure that sugar dissolves.

When ready to serve cheesecake, add bourbon and beat mixture with whisk attachment at medium speed until small bubbles form around edges, about 40 seconds; increase speed to high and continue to beat until fluffy and doubled in volume, about 1 minute longer. Spoon cream on individual slices of cheesecake.

I already made something pumpkin and I don't like it. May try again tomorrow, if there's time. They're supposed to be here in another 7 hours. Maybe while they're sleeping I can go get something? I dunno what I'm gonna do.

Mashed potatoes are ready to reheat, the carrots are sliced and ready to go (it's just oil and seasoning to get it going)

Duck has had its bath

And its rubdown. It's now drying.

The desert is totally lacking. We'll see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I can sneak down. Right now, I have a shower to take. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

The house is immaculate if that counts. I did buy a new bed, and bedding.

Oh dear, rob, was it the tart that I sent that you made? Please tell me it wasn’t.

I’d send you my pumpkin cheesecake recipe, but it is a bit complicated and it sounds like you need simple and quick.

Good luck!

No no. I'd already bought the components to the one I was going to make. And I take it back.. I think I like it?! I was just going to make yours later. After all, it's not Thanksgiving yet.

Below I have linked my blog homage to my Mom and the meal that sealed the deal between her and my Dad during their courtship. Duck a la orange, wild rice pilaf and cheesecake. My husband doesn't like duck so I rarely fix it anymore. He wants pumpkin cheesecake, does not like my Mom's recipe. Sigh.

"Courtship, Marriage and Cheesecake."

Two common duck sides for me are braised red cabbage with red onions and apples, or green beans almondine. My husband doesn't like the cabbage either. He hates sweet notes with cabbage.

I don't usually knock myself out for Thanksgiving, since all my guests will crab no matter what I do. I keep it simple. This year I'm making kale salad for me and corn pudding for Dad but not having duck, just turkey. Plain stuffing for hubs and he makes the pumpkin cheesecake.

Yeah, that's what I found. I'd go all out, make a lot of dishes, and people really just want the basics. Which is weird, because I can make the same "a lot of dishes" another time, and they'll love them. I guess traditions are set in stone. Oh well.

Yup, I had the same revelation. I'm making turkey, stuffing, and corn pudding this year, with hubs making the pumpkin cheesecake. Kale salad for me and hubs. The reason for the corn pudding is dad likes it and can't chew too well anymore due to losing some teeth recently. Also a nod to our indigenous people and their food contributions. My only other nod to my taste is sneaking a little wild rice and vegetarian sausage into the stuffing. I also had the revelation that easy stuff made for everyone being more relaxed and happy all around. One year I was a bit under the weather and did a precooked turkey breast, Stovetop stuffing, store bought cranberry relish and baked whole sweet potato and a store bought pie. Everyone was perfectly content.

Duck is a challenge. Half the battle is finding a nice one. I've had some real grisly ones and some fantastic ones. I still have duck fat in the back of the fridge from my last attempt. I know it is great for frying stuff, but the occasion hardly comes up . . .

I don't know whether to think my goodness it's so easy to make something that doesn't have a million dishes, or be sad that they're missing out on fun stuff ❣️

I've spent the day stripping the carcass, and adding the fat (skimmed when boiling it) to the meat, so I can put it into the freezer. Only a "nod to confit". Whatever you call it, it stores well that way.

Then I put the carcass in the crock pot with the beginnings of what will be a good stock. I used the liquid and veggies from boiling the duck for a few minutes. The resultant broth, gets used in soups, couscous, you name it. Also frozen to be meted out later on.

I waste nothing. I'm not sure what I'll do with the orange sauce, unless I put it in the freezer, to be used with the duck fat stored meat? Probably. Sounds like a good way to actually celebrate Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks ☺️

Chicken and pork a la orange are also good for the leftover sauce. Or with stir fry. My Dad loves anything "a la orange." So I've eaten it on a lot of things over the years. Goes great with rice pilaf too. Not too bad with shrimp either, add some pea pods, etc.