Orange Roast Mallard with an Orange Sauce

Mallard makes a perfect dish for two, as each one weighs around 1 kg each. When you purchase them be sure to cook them as soon as possible, as I have found from experience that they go off very quickly, so check them when you buy them. Orange works very well with wild duck, I add a little cointreau to intensify the flavour of the orange.

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2 portions

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Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Mallard

1kg mallard
2 rosemary sprigs
1 garlic clove
1 Seville orange
1 tbsp maple syrup
maldon salt and freshly ground Pepper

Orange Sauce

1 Seville orange, sliced and cut into quarters
juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp cointreau
1 tbps brandy
1 tsp Dijon mustard

To Serve

Roast Root Vegetables (see our recipe)
Garlic and Ginger Brussel Sprouts (see our recipe)

Method

Mallard: Preheat an oven to 200°C. Wash and dry the mallard skin and carcase with kitchen paper, prick the skin all over with a small sharp knife, season the skin with a little salt and pepper rubbing it into the skin and place the mallard on an oven tray. In a bowl mix the juice of the orange and maple syrup together, Pour this over the mallard rubbing it into the skin. Place the orange skin, garlic clove and rosemary sprig into the cavity. Remove the rosemary leaves from the other sprig and sprinkle them over the mallard. Pour a little water into the oven tray and place it into the centre of a hot oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes, glazing it with the juices once or twice. When it is ready the skin should be golden brown. Remove the mallard from the oven and cover it with foil. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Sauce: Place the caster sugar, cointreau, brandy and Dijon mustard in a saucepan and mix them together with a wooden spoon. Place the saucepan over a high heat and bring it to the boil then reduce the heat to a strong simmer. Add the orange slices to the pan and leave it simmer for 10-12 minutes until the oranges are glazed and you have a sticky pouring consistency sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To Serve: Place the mallard on a chopping board and remove the legs and breasts from the carcase (you may wish to keep the carcase to prepare a stock). Slice each breasts into 5 even pieces. Pour the orange sauce on one side of each plate. Lay the breasts out on the sauce in a fan like manner. Place the Duck leg on the sauce beside the breasts. Serve with "Roast Root Vegetables" (see recipe) and "Garlic and Ginger Brussel Sprouts" (see recipe).