Yinzer Yums of Yesteryear: Holiday duck

Since my partner is smoking two turkeys on Christmas Day and my stepdad just roasted a delicious Amaretto-marinated turkey for Thanksgiving, I decided to try something different for my family’s holiday main dish this year — and you’ll never catch me making a holiday ham.

I do not like ham. Nothing grosses me out more than the pre-cooked, plastic pop-up thermometer, salty baked ham loaf that everyone seems to go gaga over during the holidays. I have always hated it. Even so, at some point, you might catch me cooking up some ham in this column. For one thing, it was and is a popular dish on many occasions. Also, there is a ton — and I mean a ton — of ham sandwiches, salads, dinners, and appetizers in regional vintage recipes. And just because I don’t care for it doesn’t mean it won’t be a delightful dish to others.

Since turkey and ham are out, I’ve decided to roast a holiday duck. While perusing old Pittsburgh newspapers for recipes, I came across this article called “Brazilian Feast for Christmas” in the Dec. 16, 1967 edition of the New Pittsburgh Courier.

I’m not sure what makes this duck Brazilian, exactly. There’s no citrus in this dish, except for some lemon juice. There’s no fresh fruit or root vegetables. My guess is that this dish was modified for an American palate — with a bit of holiday flair. But I must say, although this Brazilian duck is not quite Brazilian, the finished product is marvelous.

The original recipe reads as follows:

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 ducklings, 4-5 lbs. each
• Duck giblets, cooked and chopped
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 lb. chestnuts, boiled and chopped
• ¼ lb. sliced bacon or salt pork

Combine wine, garlic, lemon juice 2 teaspoons salt, parsley, and chives. Pour over ducklings and marinate overnight. Drain and dry thoroughly. Stuff with the following mixture: chopped giblets, melted butter, nutmeg, pepper, chestnuts, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Arrange slices of bacon or salt pork over breast. Roast at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until done. Serve on a hot platter.

I had to make a few adjustments to this recipe. First, I needed to use one large duck, instead of two ducklings because the whole duck was easier to find. This organic, farm-raised, spoiled sucker weighed about 6 lbs., and I was able to score him for a fairly good price.

I went ahead and marinated the duck according to the instructions, and I made the stuffing ahead. One adjustment I made was with the butter. The chopped chestnuts soaked up all of the butter immediately, so I doubled down on the fat.

I also took the neck and the heart and simmered them in some of the leftover marinade, 2 tbsp. butter, and some homemade chicken bone broth. I added about a quarter cup of this liquid to the stuffing with absolutely no regrets — dry stuffing is a no-no in my book.

Also, instead of using a measly ¼ lb. of bacon to cover my duck, I used the entire package. My partner agreed that more bacon is always the right answer. And I did not serve the duck on a hot platter because I don’t love when my children get 3rd degree burns.

This recipe is entirely gluten-free as-is. I served it with green beans and a 5-grain medley (not gluten-free). Both my kids and my partner gobbled up this lovely bacon-covered duck. We saved the leftover duck fat to make rillettes for my holiday charcuterie board.

If you have a larger family, one duck may not be enough to feed everyone. We had no leftovers after feeding two adults, two kids, and a couple of nibbles for my dog. (Note that my partner has a larger-than-average appetite.) So feel free to double down on the recipe, and give your oven a bit longer, perhaps 2 ½-3 hours to do the job.

You can find a printable copy of the recipe here:

This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2024.