German Filled Roasted Duck – For Festive Dinners

In Germany we love to serve roasted duck or goose for the holidays. Here’s a recipe for you: German filled roasted duck – A highlight for a festive menu. There’s only  a few special ingredients that you need, it is mugwort and lovage.  These herbs are used preferably fresh but the dried version is just fine. The duck will be filled with bread and a combination of  selected ingredients. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients German Filled Roasted Duck

1 duck, ready to cook, about 2kg
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp mugwort (Beifuß), chopped

Filling
250 g white bread, without crust
1 apple
1 onion
1 tsp lovage (Liebstöckel), chopped
1 carrot
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter
100 ml heavy cream
1 egg
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

Gravy
2 onions
1 orange
1 apple
1 tbsp honey
100 ml orange juice

Cooking Instructions German Filled Roasted Duck

• Rinse the duck with cold water (inside and outside), pat dry with kitchen paper.
• On both sides rub in salt, pepper, inside add lovage and wormwort.
• For the filling cut bread in 1/2 inch thick cubes (1cm).
• Peel apples, remove core, cut in small cubes.
• Chop onion fine. Cut carrot ins small cubes.
• Heat butter, saute onions, apples, and carrot. Spice with honey and lovage.
• Combine with bread cubes, add egg and heavy cream. Spice with salt, nutmeg and pepper to taste.
• Fill duck with the bread mix. By using kitchen yarn and wooden picks close at the end.
  Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
• Place in a deep pan, add about 1 inch of water.
• Add gravy ingredients around the duck: peel orange and apple, cut in 1 inch thick cubes, chop onions.
• Roast duck for about 1 hr on 375 F (160 C) in pre-heated oven (breast side). Turn duck and cook for another 2 hours. Frequently pour liquid over the duck while cooking.
• 10 min before cooking time ends, mix honey with orange juice and brush over duck. Increase to 400F, roast until you get a nice brown crust.
• Remove duck. If you don’t like grease in the gravy remove it with a slotted spoon (liquid needs to be cold, so grease can be removed). Pour stock into a pot and on low temperature let it thicken, blend with a stick mixer.

Serve with red cabbage and dumplings.

Recipe Red Cabbage        Recipe Half and Half Dumplings