Home > Recipes > Roast duck with sage and orange butter, and bacon, avocado and spinach salad

Roast duck with sage and orange butter, and bacon, avocado and spinach salad
( SERVES 6 )

NZ Woman's Weekly

4.0 / 5 FROM 1

Duck makes a nice change from turkey or chicken, but you could still use either with this fragrant butter. The easy cherry sauce will cut down the richness of the meat, while the bacon and avocado salad is a perfect match on the side.

Duck

100 g	Butter
1	Orange, zested then peeled and sliced
1	Duck, (size 18)
1 bunch	Sage leaf, finely sliced
1 to taste	Sea salt

Salad

1	Avocado, large
2 Tbsp	Lemon juice
3	Bacon rashers, cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup	Olive oil
2 Tbsp	White wine vinegar
1	Garlic clove, finely chopped
100 g	Mesclun leaves
¼	Cucumber, peeled into ribbons

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Brown sugar
1 tin	Pitted cherries, in juice
1 Tbsp	Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp	Cornflour
2 Tbsp	Water
½ tsp	Mixed spice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170C.
Arrange the duck in a roasting dish lined with baking paper.
Combine the butter, orange zest, sliced sage and sea salt and rub ¾ all over the duck.
Roast for 40 minutes, or until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part of the duck leg.
Rest for 10 minutes, then arrange on a serving platter. Dress with the fresh orange slices.
Heat the remaining butter and pour over the meat just before serving.
For the salad: peel and cut the avocado into chunky slices and toss with the lemon juice.
Fry the bacon in a small pan until crispy. Combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, honey and garlic in a jar and mix well.
Arrange the greens and cucumber ribbons in a serving bowl, and top with avocado slices and bacon. Drizzle over the dressing.
For the cherry sauce: combine the cherries and juice, brown sugar, vinegar and spice, and bring to the boil.
Thicken with the pre-mixed cornflour and water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.