Roast Duck

Summary: 425 F for 45 minutes, flip; roast 45 min, flip again and roast until done.

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 (5- to 6-lb) Long Island duck (also known as Pekin)
2 cups boiling-hot water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

If necessary, cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse duck inside and out. Prick skin all over with a sharp fork. Fold neck skin under body, then put duck, breast side up, on a rack in a 13- by 9- by 3-inch roasting pan and pour boiling-hot water over duck (to tighten skin). Cool duck, then pour out any water from cavity into pan. Pat duck dry inside and out, reserving water in pan, then rub duck inside and out with kosher salt and pepper.

Roast duck, breast side up, 45 minutes, then remove from oven. Turn duck over using 2 wooden spoons, and roast 45 minutes more. Turn duck over again (breast side up), tilting duck to drain any liquid from cavity into pan. Continue to roast duck until skin is brown and crisp, about 45 minutes more (total roasting time: about 2 1/4 hours). Tilt duck to drain any more liquid from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Discard liquid in roasting pan.

NOTES: 

I didn't pour boiling water over the bird, but did cut off excess fat and used the same method I use for roast chicken. I separated skin from meat and rubbed seasonings (salt, onion and garlic powder, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest) directly on meat and on skin, then left the bird uncovered in the fridge for about 20 hours. I let it come to room temp before roasting. 

For the first 45 min or so, I used the convection oven setting, then switched to the regular oven setting. I had to wrap wings in tinfoil after about 45 min to prevent them from burning. 

Result was fall off the bone tender.  

Turkey in Convection Oven

Timing Guide for Convection Roasting

The timing we have established for roasting turkeys in Convection is based on the following criteria:
Letting the turkey sit outside of the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
Cooking the turkey without stuffing.
Roasting the turkey on a rack in a shallow pan with the legs swinging free.
Cooking the turkey in the Convection Roast mode at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then reducing the temperature to 350 degrees/375 for large capacity ovens, for the remainder of the cooking time.
Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 160-170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh and allow it to rest for 20 minutes prior to carving, in this time the internal temperature rises to 180 degrees.

Turkey weight	Cooking time	Resting time
10-12 lb. turkey	1 ½ hours	20 minutes
12-15 lb. turkey	1 ¾ hours	20 minutes
15-20 lb. turkey	2 hours	20 minutes
20-25 lb. turkey	2 ½ hours	20 minutes

Roasted Leg of Lamb (Sear and Bake Method)

Summary: 425 for 20 min, 350 for 30 (boneless) to 45 (bone in) = rare


Prep time:
Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients
Quick rub (rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, just enough olive oil to make a paste)

Marinade
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 Tbsp of fresh chopped rosemary or 1 Tbsp of dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

Blend marinade ingredients in a blender, just a few pulses until well mixed.

Lamb Roast
One 6-pound leg of lamb, bone-in or boneless. (If boneless, the leg should be tied up with kitchen string by butcher.)

Marinade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. If using rub, leave it on for several hours outside of the fridge, overnight or longer in the fridge. If marinating, marinate overnight, in the refrigerator. If refrigerating, bring to room temp. 

2 Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange two racks in the oven - a middle rack to hold the lamb, and a lower rack to hold a roasting pan with which to catch the drippings. Note that this arrangement of racks and pans, with the roast sitting directly on the oven rack, will create a natural convection of heat in the oven, causing the roast to cook more quickly than if cooked the traditional method in a rack in a roasting pan.

3 Remove the lamb roast from its marinade bag (you may want to temporarily place lamb in another roasting pan, just to make it less messy to work with.) Pat dry the marinade off the lamb with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. Arrange the roast fattiest side up, so while the lamb is cooking the fat will melt into the meat. Place the roast directly on middle rack of the oven, with a roasting pan on a separate rack a rung lower, to catch the drippings. You may also want to put some water in the bottom roasting pan, so that the drippings fall into the water instead of burning in the hot pan and smoking up your kitchen.

4. Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F and roast an additional 30 minutes (for a 6 pound boneless roast) to 45 min - 1 hr (for a 6 pound bone-in roast). 

In general estimate 10-13 minutes per pound for total cooking time (for rare), including that first 20 minutes at high heat.

Note that the method of cooking directly on the oven rack will mimic a convection oven and the cooking time/oven temp needed will be less than you would need if you cooked the roast on a rack in a roasting pan. If you are cooking the roast directly in a roasting pan, rack or not, start the roast at 450°F and then reduce the heat to 325°F. Also, the shape of the roast will have an impact on the cooking time. Our roast was rather long and thin, so it cooked up fairly quickly. A thicker roast may take longer than expected.

Let stand for 25-30 minutes before carving. Cut away the kitchen string and slice with a sharp carving knife, 1/2 inch thick slices, against the grain of the meat.

5 While the roast is resting, use a metal spatula to scrape up the drippings in the roasting pan. Use the drippings to make a gravy, or use just the drippings themselves to serve with the lamb.