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    Cooking At Home: Ginger Beer-Glazed Roast Duck

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    Columbus Underground is prepping for Thanksgiving and the Holiday Cooking Season this week with our Cooking at Home series, brought to you by our friends at The North Market!

    We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Trinidad, but during the holidays, my mum would always prepare a fancy bird to accompany the ham, stews, and sides that invariably littered the holiday table. Sometimes it would be a turkey, but more often than not, it was a goose, bought from a neighbor a few towns over, and prepared over the course of several days.

    When I first moved to Columbus and wanted to recreate those memories, my access to fresh goose was limited, so I used duck instead. It works really well with the glaze my mother and I first created when I discovered my love of ginger beer almost 25 years ago. When I make this meal, it’s like being home for a little while, and sharing it with others invites them into my world in the best – and most delicious – way.

    Ginger Beer-Glazed Roast Duck

    w/Spiked Beluga Lentils and Hot Thyme Vegetables from The Greener Grocer

    Serves: 6

    Ingredients

    Duck

    • 1 4-5 lb duck
    • 1 can craft ginger beer (from Barrel & Bottle)
    • 1 knob of fresh ginger
    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • 1 lime
    • 1 scotch bonnet or other hot pepper
    • ½ tsp ground coriander
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp onion powder
    • ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    • ¼ tsp ground all spice
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 2 tsp. agave nectar
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    Sides

    • 1 cup beluga lentils
    • 2-3 turnips
    • 2-3 potatoes
    • 2 tsp fresh thyme
    • 1½ cups chicken stock
    • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce + 2 tbsp
    • 1 small onion, finely diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tbsp bacon fat or butter
    • 1½ tsp olive oil
    • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    Directions

    1. Clean duck (I got mine from North Market Poultry & Game), removing all giblets. Dry thoroughly, and place, uncovered, in the refrigerator to dry for at least 12 hours. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Prick duck all over with sharp paring knife, and place in roasting rack. Season cavity and skin thoroughly with salt and pepper. Cook, breast side down, for 40 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup ginger beer, ½ the knob of ginger, soy sauce, juice and zest of lime, pepper, agave, and spices in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to medium, and cook for 20 minutes, till a thick syrup forms (remove pepper after about 10 minutes). Add remaining ginger beer, reduce heat to low, and simmer till the duck is finished the first part of cooking. Grate the remaining knob of ginger into the glaze before using.
    3. Remove duck from oven, and drop heat to 350°F. Pour the duck fat into a bowl, and glaze the back side of the duck with ginger beer mixture. Turn the duck breast side up, and glaze generously again. Return to oven and cook an additional 1½-1¾ hours till done (internal temp of 175º; with rest comes to 185º.)
    4. Cut vegetables into large chunks, and add salt, pepper, thyme, and half the scotch bonnet left over from the glaze. Toss vegetables with 2-3 tbsp of duck fat, and roast in the same oven for 45 minutes, tossing about half way through.
    5. In a large skillet, add the bacon fat and olive oil. Cook the onion, garlic, and remaining ½ scotch bonnet for 5-7minutes, till translucent. Add lentils, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and stock. Bring to slight boil, then drop heat to low, cover, and cook till soft and stock is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Add remaining 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and parsley.

    Serve alongside glazed duck and vegetables for a great holiday meal.

    Photos by Craig Ferance.

    From November 11th to 17th, Columbus Underground is featuring our Cooking at Home series, brought to you by The North Market. Stop by the new North Market this holiday shopping season for all of your speciality foods, prepared foods and other cooking needs! And be sure to pick up the brand new North Market Cookbook — it’s full of great recipe ideas, and makes a great holiday gift too!

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    Ayana Wilson
    Ayana Wilsonhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Ayana Wilson is a former staff writer at Columbus Underground who covered local restaurant industry news.
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