Should I cover roasted duck legs when they go in the oven? | Ask Nigella.com

Our response

Roasted duck legs from Nigelle with potatoes from CUISINE) roasts cubes of potato in the fat from the duck while it cooks. The duck legs are first seared then roasted in a pan with the potatoes around them.

It is not necessary to cover the pan when it goes in the oven and it is also not desirable to cover the pan. Duck legs contain a lot of fat, which helps keep the meat moist while cooking. If the pan was covered, the skin of the duck legs would not crisp properly and turn into delicious “cancans”. Also, if the pan was covered, the potatoes would simmer rather than roast in the duck fat and would not get browned and crispy on top. So there is no need to worry about a long cooking time, the pan does not need to be covered.