Roast Duck with Cherry and Walnut Stuffing

A warm roast duck can make a great change from the traditional roast chicken. Whilst duck is not a meaty bird, a flavoursome stuffing can extend it to serve four to six people. Once cooked the duck needs to rest for an hour or so and then broken up and placed on a platter. The cherry and walnut stuffing absorbs the duck flavours as it cooks and can be sliced and served on the platter with the duck. Serve it with spiced cherries or other pickled vegetables.

Cherry and Walnut Stuffing

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pitted cherries

1/2 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced

1 egg

1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Finely grated rind of 1 Orange

Generous grind of black pepper and a little salt

Optional - 1 tablespoon glacé orange peel, finely chopped

Method

Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. 

Pack the stuffing into the duck cavity and secure. I sew the duck closed with string and then tie the legs together. Roast the chicken on a trivet although this time I used chicken thighs as a trivet and removed them when cooked. 

It doesn't matter if you slightly overstuff the duck.

The duck neck can make a good sausage. Remove the skin in one piece and use it as a sausage casing. Tie one end with string, pack in the stuffing and then tie the other end. Bake with the duck. The stuffing could also be made from minced chicken or pork or a combination of meat and breadcrumbs.

Allow the sausage to cool and slice.