How Do I Adapt The Recipe For Only One Roast Duck?

Our answer

Nigella roasts two ducks in her recipe for Roast Duck With Orange, Soy and Ginger (from AT MY TABLE) as the yield of meat from a duck can be fairly low and it is as easy to cook two ducks as one with the steam roasting method. The recipe should serve 4-6 people and any leftovers can be used to make a duck salad or duck wraps.

As the ducks are cooked in the oven the cooking time for one duck of around 1.8kg (without giblets, around 2kg if it includes the giblets) should be almost exactly the same as the time for two ducks. One duck may cook slightly more quickly as the hot air in the oven will circulate around it slightly more efficiently but it is likely to only be 5-10 minutes difference in the cooking time. As ducks contain a fair amount of fat it is unlikely that the duck will dry out during cooking and the steam roasting step also helps to keep the duck moist. So we would suggest for the first steam roasting step that you cook the duck for the same time as stated in the recipe (1½ hours). For the second roasting check the duck after 45 minutes to see if it is piping hot all the way through and the skin is crisp enough. If not then return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.