Next year we celebrate our 30th year in business and from day one we have been getting our duck from a small local producer, Thornhill Duck. Ken Moffit took over the farm from his parents, and he produces an Aylesbury-Pekin cross that has great flavour. I always remember my mother roasting duck in our early days for both us and Thornhill, and over the years they have become good family friends.

You can buy Thornhill online. They won a prestigious Euro Toques producers award last May in recognition of “traditional artisan production methods, excellent quality standards and an outstanding contribution to Irish food”. I second that. The hard work and dedication pays off. He is a wonderful farmer

This recipe uses the same cooking technique as cooking a chicken on a can of beer so that it steams inside and all the fat melts and crisps up, making the meat wonderfully succulent. These potatoes are the perfect accompaniment for the duck and look fantastic displayed on a large platter.

Happy cooking.

Soy glazed roast duck with roasted sesame beet potatoes. \ photo: Philip Doyle. Styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith.

Soy glazed roast duck

Serves six

1 whole duck

1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

2 tsp sea salt flakes

500ml (18fl oz) can artisan cider

2cm (3/4in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp sesame oil

100ml (3 1/2fl oz) soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (preferably Thai Gold)

2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

Handful fresh coriander leaves

Roasted sesame sweet potatoes and crisp greens, to serve (see separate recipe – optional)

  • 1 Lightly score the duck skin all over and rub with the five spice and half of the salt. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.
  • 2 Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4 and put a shelf on the bottom of the oven. Open the can of cider and pour about half into a glass. Feed the ginger and garlic into the can and add the sesame oil and half of the soy sauce. Firmly push the duck onto the can, legs down so that it is sitting upright with the can in its cavity. Stand it in a roasting tin and place in the oven for one hour.
  • 3 Meanwhile, make the sauce. Whisk the remaining soy sauce together with the honey and sweet chilli sauce and then loosen out with a few tablespoons of the reserved cider. Brush the sauce all over the duck and then roast it for another hour, basting it every 10-15 minutes with all the sticky juices in the pan until the duck is dark and glossy, adding a little more of the cider to the sauce if you prefer it thinner, and covering with tinfoil about a half an hour before the end of cooking time if you think the duck is becoming too dark.
  • 4 Remove the duck from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
  • 5 Meanwhile, mix the crushed Sichuan peppercorns with the rest of the salt. Carefully lift the duck off the can and season the cavity with the mixture and then fill with the coriander. Carve into slices and serve with the roasted sesame sweet potatoes and crisp greens, if liked.

    • Roasted sesame sweet potatoes

    Serves six

    Six large sweet potatoes

    3 tbsp vegetable oil

    1 tsp sesame oil

    1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger

    1 garlic clove, crushed

    3 tbsp soy sauce

    Juice of 1 lime

    1 tbsp sesame seeds

    50g roasted peanuts, crushed

    1 green chilli, thinly sliced

    Three spring onions, thinly sliced

    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 180oC/350F/gas mark 4. Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges and put into a large roasting tin with a tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes until lightly charred, tossing occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.
  • 2 Meanwhile, whisk the rest of the vegetable oil with the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and lime juice. Baste the sweet potato wedges with some of this sauce and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, basting regularly as they continue to cook. Once the sweet potato wedges are glazed and sticky, remove and sprinkle over the sesame seeds and peanuts and leave to cool slightly. Transfer to a platter and scatter over the chilli and spring onions to serve.