Ingredients
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Roasted Duck:
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1 (2 kg) duck
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Salt & pepper
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1 tbsp Butter
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1 tbsp caraway seeds
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Dumplings:
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1/2 kg potatoes
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3 Eggs
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Salt
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Flour
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Cabbage:
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1 kg white cabbage
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Salt
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Sugar
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1/4 l vinegar
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duck fat
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raisins
Directions
Roast duck with sauerkraut and a mixture of dumplings is a festive Czech dish, usually served on special family occasions or ordered in a restaurant as a treat.
The whole sorcery, when it comes to the quality of the dish, lies in the right seasoning, the slow-roasting of the duck, and the right balance of sweetness and sourness in the red or white sauerkraut.
The duck needs a good amount of garlic, onion, and other spices such as caraway. Again, expect nothing else than a mixture of delicious dumplings to complement this flavor-rich meal. And if the occasion is beyond special, for example after Christmas, Czechs take this classic even a tad further and replace the duck to treat themselves with goose.
Preparation:
For the Roasted Duck:
- Preheat oven to 350° F degrees.
- Wash the duck and pat dry.
- Place 1 tbsp of butter inside the cavity. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.
- Place in a roasting dish, pour a little water over the duck, and cover with a lid. Roast for one hour.
- Turn the duck, and add a little more water. Roast for another hour, or longer in the case of larger birds.
- When the meat is tender, remove it from the oven and divide it into portions.
- Pair with dumplings (knedlicky) and sauerkraut. Drizzle the duck juices over the dumplings and duck when serveing.
For the Dumplings:
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are soft. Peel and push through a potato ricer.
- Add the 3 eggs, flour, and salt. Mix and knead into a dough.
- Form into rolls 3cm long and toss into boiling water. Cook for 30 minutes on low heat, until the dumplings rise to the surface of the water.
- Remove the rolls and cut them into finger-thick slices.
For the Cabbage:
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and the stem. Cut the entire head of cabbage into 1 cm thick strips.
- Place the cabbage in a pot, and add enough boiling water to cover most of it.
- Add salt, 3 tbsp of sugar, and vinegar.
- Cover and cook for 30 minutes, then drain off the water, add 2 tbsp of duck fat and the raisins, and cook over low heat for a further five minutes, until the last drops of water have evaporated.
- Season again, according to taste, with sugar, vinegar, and salt.
