What Vegetables to Serve with Duck: 10 Best Veggies

Duck. What’s not to love?

It’s cheap, it’s tender, and it’s delicious.

And if you’re lucky enough to have access to some of this scrumptious meat, you know that the best way to enjoy it is by making it into a hearty and delicious meal.

That’s where these delicious veggie side dishes come in. I’ve paired duck with sweet potatoes, collard greens, and peas for a flavorful and nutritious meal before.

But there’s more to come.

Don’t stop here, keep scrolling for more delectable vegetable dishes that pair beautifully with duck.

So, here are some vegetables to serve with duck!

So, what vegetables go with duck?

Vegetables that pair well with duck include roasted root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. Other great sides for duck are brussels sprouts, sautéed mushrooms, or a fresh salad. Roasted butternut squash is a nice option too!

But first…

Why Consider Serving Vegetables with Duck?

Duck is a great meat to serve as a dish.

However, you can make your duck even more delicious by serving it with vegetables.

Many vegetables can go well with duck meat and can even be used to complement it.

For example, carrots are a great side dish to accompany duck.

They go well with the meat and can be served alongside it without overpowering it.

Additionally, you can add some of the duck’s fat to the vegetables for extra flavor.

Cooking the vegetables in the duck fat will help the vegetables soak up the flavors from the fatty meat.

When serving duck, you will often see it served with a side of vegetables.

This is a great idea because it makes the meal more filling.

You can add a side of vegetables to make the meal more complete without having to make a large meal out of it.

When you serve the vegetables with the duck, you can make your meal a lot more filling and enjoyable.

Additionally, vegetables can go along with duck much more easily than a heavy meat like beef.

Duck is often paired with heavy dishes like steak and chicken, but it’s more common to see it served with vegetables.

With a side of vegetables, it’s more common to see duck paired with vegetables than with other meats.

How to Pick The Right Vegetables to Serve with Duck

So you have a bunch of vegetables on hand, and you’re wondering how to pick the right ones for a delicious duck.

You can serve a salad with duck, or just a side salad, but the best way is to pair it with something a little richer.

So here’s how to pick the right vegetables:

1. Consider Your Taste

One thing to consider when selecting vegetables to pair with duck is your taste. For example, if you feel that your duck is a little too rich, you may want to choose vegetables that pair well with rich foods.

If your duck is a little too salty, you may also want to consider pairing it with vegetables that are slightly less salty.

2. Consider the Season

You’ll want to consider the season when pairing your duck with other vegetables. For example, cauliflower and broccoli are good vegetables to pair with duck during the colder months.

However, during the warmer months, you may want to pair your duck with vegetables such as tomatoes.

3. Consider How Easy To Prepare The Vegetables Are

Some vegetables are much more difficult to prepare than others. For example, a squash is going to take a great deal of time and effort to cut or peel before cooking. On the other hand, some vegetables are very easy to prepare such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

4. Consider How Different Vegetables Taste

Some vegetables have a completely different taste from another. For example, a butternut squash might be mistaken for sweet potatoes. This can confuse some people when they are selecting which vegetables to serve with duck.

5. Match the Seasoning To The Vegetables

The seasonings that you use when cooking vegetables can greatly impact the taste. For example, you might want to use garlic seasoning if you are sautéing broccoli. In contrast, chives might be a better choice if you are cooking cauliflower.

This can give the dish a different taste when you match certain vegetables with certain seasonings.

What Vegetables to Serve with Duck: 10 Best Veggies

Duck is a popular choice for dinner with friends, and because it can be served hot and cold, there’s plenty of flexibility. However, I think a side dish should match the meal perfectly, so if your duck is spicy, go with a simple side salad.

Here are a few of my favorite vegetables to serve with duck:

1. Green Beans

Green beans are a great accompaniment for duck, and they also offer a lovely contrast with the duck meat. Duck can be rich, and green beans offer a nice contrast in texture and flavour.

This dish also works really well with potatoes, so if you’re cooking for two people, you could add a couple of potatoes to the pan along with the green beans.

2. Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts are a traditional accompaniment to duck, but they’re also a great side to serve with any roast fowl. Some think they’re a lot nicer than regular cabbage, as they retain a bit more of the flavour of the bird.

They go well with duck because of their smokiness, and the sweetness of the sprouts helps to balance the flavour of the meat.

3. Garlic

Garlic and duck is a classic combination, and it’s a perfect match. The duck is rich and meaty, so the garlic helps to cut through the richness of the meat, and it adds a lovely flavour. Serve with lots of steamed vegetables, or salad, and a glass of red wine.

4. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a classic side dish for duck, as they add a gorgeous earthy flavour to the meat. They also soak up any juices from the meat, making this an excellent side dish for meat that’s a little bit fatty.

A mushroom risotto, or sautéing mushrooms with shallots and garlic are great options, but serving them alongside duck is a simple and delicious alternative.

5. Cabbage

Cabbage makes a delicious accompaniment to duck, thanks to a combination of its sweet flavour and crunchy texture. You can serve it on its own, or add it to stir-fries, soups and stews. Serve it alongside some duck, and you’ll be in heaven!

6. Cauliflower

When it comes to vegetables, cauliflower often gets overlooked. The vegetable tends to be served as part of a ‘white’ meal, even though it has far more to offer. Here, the cauliflower is partnered with duck, and the combination is delicious.

Served alone, the cauliflower has a mildly nutty flavour, but when it’s paired with duck, it gains a savoury flavour, which is delicious.

7. Carrots

Carrots work really well with duck, but you can also use other root vegetables like parsnips, sweet potatoes, and beetroot. For a vegetable dish that packs a flavour punch, try cooking your carrots in butter and maple syrup first, before roasting them in the oven.

The sweetness of the maple syrup complements the duck really well, and they work particularly well with other root vegetables as well.

8. Zucchini

Squash is a great way to accompany duck, as it’s naturally sweet, so it doesn’t compete with the duck for its flavour.

It also provides a lovely contrast in texture, so if you’re looking to serve something a bit more subtle, zucchini is a great choice. You can serve it either raw or lightly cooked.

9. Red Peppers

Red peppers go brilliantly with duck, as they’re sweet, tangy and juicy. They can also go with any other kind of meat and poultry too, so they’re a great addition to any vegetarian meal.

Red peppers also complement seafood very well, so they’re a great way to quickly add colour and flavour to your meal.

10. Corn

Corn is always a great choice to serve alongside duck. It’s a classic combination, and the corn offers a fresh contrast of flavour to the meat. If you don’t have time to grill the corn, you can even boil it instead.

Conclusion

The vegetables mentioned in this article go well with duck.

However, the freshness of the vegetables has to be maintained.

When serving duck, the best side dishes are roasted root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and turnips; sautéed greens like kale or spinach; roasted Brussels sprouts; mashed sweet potatoes; and grilled zucchini. These sides will bring out the flavor of the duck without overpowering it.

Make sure that the vegetables are crisp as raw vegetables increase the cooking time for duck and makes them less tasty.

Vegetables like broccoli, chard, and green beans go well with duck.

When duck is cooked, there is a distinct smell.

However, the smell is only because of the fat.

Therefore, it is best if the duck is roasted so that no oil gets added.

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