Recipe for: Roast Duck with Cherries and Young Cabbage - photo 1
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Recipe for: Roast Duck with Cherries and Young Cabbage

Spicy Main dishes Regional Cuisine of Poland 150 min Medium 13 views ~47.10 PLN * - (0)
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Description

Traditional Polish roasted duck with a summer touch of fresh cherries, served with gently braised young cabbage. This dish combines the rich, slightly sweet and sour flavor of the fruit glaze with the crispy, golden skin of the duck and the freshness of seasonal cabbage. Perfect for a family dinner on a summer afternoon or for a festive dinner — it looks impressive on the table, has distinct aromas of herbs and cherries, and a contrast of textures: juicy meat, browned skin, and soft cabbage with a delicate sweetness of apple (optional). Serve with roasted potatoes from the duck's juices or with toasted buckwheat for a regional flair.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (13)

Servings:
4
  • Duck 2200 g
  • Cherry 300 g
  • Young cabbage 0.7 pcs (~800 g)
  • Onion 1 pcs (~150 g)
  • Garlic 3 clove (~15 g)
  • Butter 50 g
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Marjoram 4 g
  • Thyme 30 g
  • Salt 0.2 pinch (~5 g)
  • Black pepper 4 pinch (~2 g)
  • ✨ Optional
  • Honey 60 ml
  • Apple 0.8 pcs (~150 g)
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~47.10 PLN (11.77 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Preparing the duck

1

Take the duck out of the fridge 30–60 minutes before preparation to reach room temperature for even roasting. Remove the giblets from the inside (they are in a separate package). If present, trim excess fat from the neck and tail. Rinse the inside under cold water, then dry very thoroughly with a paper towel: moisture on the skin makes browning difficult.

Ingredients: duck
Use a large plate and paper towels. Tools: kitchen scissors to open the package and a cutting board. Common mistake: not drying the duck — the skin won't be crispy.
2

Prepare the skin: using a sharp knife or skewer, make horizontal incisions in the skin (not in the meat) in a grid pattern, every 1–1.5 cm. Then, pierce the skin with a thin needle or skewer in the spaces between the incisions several times, so that the fat can render out during roasting. Do not pierce the meat — focus only on the skin and the fat beneath it.

Ingredients: duck
Use a sharp kitchen knife and a cutting board. Common mistake: cutting too deeply — the meat will dry out. Deep punctures will cause loss of juiciness.
3

Rub the inside of the duck with salt and pepper (about 1/3 of the salt). Place the halved onion, crushed garlic cloves, and a whole bunch of thyme inside. If you are using an apple (optional), cut it into quarters and also place it inside. Gently slide a piece of butter under the skin of the breast (divide 50 g of butter into two parts) — this will help achieve a golden skin and juiciness.

Ingredients: Salt, Black pepper, Onion, Garlic, Thyme, Apple, Butter
Use disposable gloves or clean hands. Tools: a spoon for sliding butter under the skin. Do not rub the salt and spices too aggressively into the skin — salt can draw out too much moisture, but rub evenly.

Baking

4

Preheat the oven to 220°C (conventional or with reduced fan to 200°C). Place the duck breast side up on a rack set over a baking tray — the fat will drip into the tray. Put the duck in for 15 minutes to quickly brown the skin and start rendering the fat. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 160°C and continue roasting: count about 20–25 minutes for every 500 g of duck. For a 2200 g duck, roast for ~90–110 minutes after lowering the temperature.

Ingredients: duck
Use a roasting pan with a rack or a baking sheet with a grid. Tools: kitchen gloves. Mistakes: too high a temperature will burn the skin; too low will not render the fat and the skin will be rubbery.

Glaze and baking

5

After about 60 minutes of baking (after lowering the temperature), prepare the cherry glaze: place pitted cherries (remove the pits using a pitter or by cutting them in half) in a small pot, add a crushed garlic clove, a few thyme leaves, and if you want a sweeter effect — honey (optional). Cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until the fruit releases its juice, then reduce the heat and cook for another 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. If the glaze is too watery, cook a little longer or add a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold water.

Ingredients: Cherry, Garlic, Thyme, Honey, Salt, Black pepper
Use a small saucepan with a thick bottom and a wooden spoon. When the cherries start to break down, reduce the heat — boiling too vigorously can break the flavor. This key step pertains to preparing the glaze, which gives the final character to the taste.
6

15–20 minutes before the end of baking, brush the duck with the prepared glaze using a brush — first a layer, then return it to the oven. After 8–10 minutes, take it out and apply a second thin layer, optionally increasing the temperature to 200–210°C for 5–8 minutes to caramelize the glaze and give it a shine. During baking, collect excess fat from the tray and baste the duck 1–2 times with the sauce from the bottom of the roasting pan, which will help achieve even browning.

Ingredients: duck, Cherry, Honey, Thyme
Use a silicone brush. Be careful not to burn the glaze at too high a temperature — watch the process in the last few minutes.

Young cabbage

7

While the duck is resting, prepare the young cabbage. Remove the outer leaves, cut the head in half, remove the core, and finely shred it (with a knife or a shredder). In a wide skillet, heat canola oil (30 g) over medium heat. Add half of the chopped onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the shredded cabbage, season with salt (about 1 teaspoon of salt), and sprinkle with half of the marjoram (2 teaspoons). Cover the skillet and simmer over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring every 3–4 minutes, until the cabbage softens but retains a slight crunch.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, Onion, Young cabbage, Salt, Marjoram, Apple, Butter
Use a wide skillet or a pot with a lid. If you want a sweeter taste, add a chopped apple halfway through the braising (if using). A common mistake: braising too long will make the cabbage watery and bland.
8

After 10–12 minutes, remove the lid, add the remaining butter (if you want, ~10–20 g) and gently sauté for another 2 minutes to give the cabbage a slight shine. Taste and season with pepper and possibly additional salt and marjoram. The cabbage should be soft but not mushy.

Ingredients: Butter, Marjoram, Black pepper, Salt, Young cabbage
Use a wooden spatula to stir. If the cabbage is dry, add 2–3 tablespoons of water and simmer a little longer.

Resting and Slicing

9

Remove the duck from the oven when its skin is deeply golden and the glaze is caramelized. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10–15 minutes — resting allows the juices to redistribute evenly. Check the temperature with a thermometer: the safe internal temperature for poultry is 74°C placed in the thickest part of the thigh, but for duck, you can aim for 70–74°C depending on your preferred juiciness.

Ingredients: duck
Use a meat thermometer. A common mistake: cutting immediately after taking it out of the oven will cause the juices to run out and result in a dry breast.

Assembly and serving

10

On a large plate, arrange a portion of young cabbage. Cut the duck with a sharp knife — first separate the thighs, then slice the breast against the grain. Lightly drizzle each portion with the juices from the pan and 1–2 tablespoons of cherry glaze. Serve immediately, optionally adding roasted potatoes or buckwheat.

Ingredients: Young cabbage, duck, Cherry, Thyme
Use a sharp butcher's knife and a cutting board. Serve hot: the duck tastes best right after resting. Additionally, you can add fresh thyme leaves for decoration.

Fun Fact

💡

In Polish tradition, roasted meats are often paired with fruits — sweet fruits (apple, plum) neutralize the fattiness of poultry. Cherries add a summer touch that was popular in seasonal rural dishes.

Best for

obiad niedzielny letnia uroczystość rodzinne spotkanie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the duck hot, plated with a portion of cabbage. Drizzle each serving with a few tablespoons of cherry glaze. Roasted potatoes, toasted buckwheat, or delicate Silesian dumplings pair well. Decoration: fresh thyme leaves and a few whole cherries.

🥡 Storage

Store meat and cabbage separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in airtight containers. Keep the glaze in a separate jar. Reheating: gently in the oven at 150–160°C for 10–15 minutes; to maintain the crispiness of the skin, use 180°C for 5–8 minutes or briefly crisp the skin in a pan just before serving.

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