Roast Duck, Mulled Red Cabbage And Roast Potatoes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 - 4 lb whole duck
1 tsp dried thyme
4 None onions, peeled, 3 cut in 1/2, 1 thinly sliced
1 None orange, juiced
1 sachet mulling spices
1 tbsp butter
1 head red cabbage, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp sugar
1 None bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup applesauce
1 lb frozen potatoes wedges
2 None pears, halved
4 None kumquats, sliced
None None pink peppercorns, crushed
None None thyme, to garnish
None None star anise, to garnish

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0F. Season the inside of the duck and put the dried thyme, 2 of the onion halves and the orange juice into the cavity. Seal the opening with a wooden skewer. Season the skin of the duck and place in a roasting pan. Distribute 4 onion halves around the duck and add 1 cup water. Roast in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add the spice sachet and simmer for 10 mins. Heat the butter in a pan and saute the sliced onion and red cabbage. Add the sugar and bay leaf and season to taste. Remove the sachet from the water and pour the infusion and the vinegar over the cabbage. Cook about 1 hour then stir in the applesauce and season again. Bake the potatoes according to the package instructions.
Around 15 mins before the end of the roasting time, remove the onions from the roasting pan, and put the pear halves with the cut edge face down into the hot pan along with the sliced kumquats. Season with the crushed pink peppercorns then pour 3/4 cup salt water over the duck. Turn the oven up to 425\u00b0F and roast until the duck is crispy. Skim the fat from the meat juices. Serve on a platter garnished with thyme and star anise. Serve with the potatoes and red cabbage on the side.