Duck, Czech style: from St. Martin's goose to confit legs

Roast poultry with cabbage and dumplings is one of the most typical Czech dishes. Goose is traditionally roasted around St. Martin's Day (11 November), while duck stays on menus all year round.

How to recognise a well-roasted duck

• The skin is crisp and golden, not rubbery.
• The meat comes off the bone easily but is neither mushy nor dry.
• The cabbage – white or red – has a balanced sweet-and-sour taste.
• The dumplings are fluffy; ideally two kinds (bread and potato).

Confit legs

Confit means slowly cooking meat in its own fat at a low temperature. The result is exceptionally juicy meat that is crisped up before serving. Potrefená husa in Liberec, for example, serves confit duck legs with red cabbage, potato dumplings and onions as its signature dish.

What to drink

Fatty poultry goes well with a more bitter pale lager that refreshes the palate, or an amber lager whose caramel notes match the crispy skin. Wine lovers reach for St. Martin's wine – a young Müller-Thurgau or Saint Laurent.