French chicken with shallots and dates
Transform your culinary experience and dive into a recipe from our trends expert, featuring the classic French seasoning, Épices Rabelais. For the ultimate meal, pair it with crispy roast potatoes
Roast duck with sherried shallots
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 2 - 3
Skip to ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp chinese five-spice powder
- 2kg whole duck
- 3 star anise
- 400g long shallotstrimmed and peeled
- 200ml sweet sherry (Pedro Ximénez or similar)
- 1 small handful of thyme sprigs
- mashed potatoes or roast potatoes and greens, to serve
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal733
- fat34.8g
- saturates10g
- carbs8.5g
- sugars8.5g
- fibre2.5g
- protein77.2g
- salt0.77g
Method
step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the oil with the five spice and rub all over the duck. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Heat a large flameproof casserole or ovenproof frying pan over a high heat and sear the duck all over until golden brown, holding it with a pair of tongs to help you. Transfer to a plate.
step 2
Add the star anise and shallots to the dish, and cook for a few minutes until the shallots start to caramelise. Pour in the sherry, thyme and 100ml of water, and bubble for a minute. Nestle the duck back into the dish, and roast for 1 hr, spooning some of the sherry over the duck a few times during cooking.
step 3
Turn up the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for another 5-10 mins or until the duck is golden, glazed and crisp-skinned. Transfer the duck and shallots to a platter, cover with foil and rest for 20 mins.
step 4
Fish out the thyme sprigs and star anise. Leave the liquid for a few minutes to settle. Skim off the duck fat (use this to flavour the potatoes), then simmer for a few minutes if it’s still a little thin to reduce to a light gravy. Carve the duck, serve with the shallots and pour over the sherry roasting juices. Serve with mash or roasties and buttered greens.
