Crisp roast duck goes well with autumn vegetables.
Cooking a duck is a bit more complicated than cooking a chicken, but well worth the effort. The flesh is dark and rich, and aside from a layer of fat under the skin it's very lean. Cooking duck is mostly a matter of two priorities: rendering out the layer of fat; and not overcooking the duck underneath. Ideally you'll end with a juicy, medium-rare duck with a crisp skin, which will go with a variety of side dishes.
Autumn Vegetables
Ducks are often combined with autumn vegetables. Not only is autumn the traditional time for slaughtering domestic poultry, it's also when hunters took advantage of the wild ducks' annual migration south. A puree of sweet root vegetables, such as parsnips, carrots or sweet potatoes, will always go well with roasted or grilled duck. So do roasted vegetables, especially if they're roasted in a small amount of rendered duck fat. Winter squash or pumpkin also goes well with duck, whether roasted or pureed.
Fruit and Berries
The flavor of duck lends itself well to fruit-based preparations. Like turkey, duck is often paired with cranberries or cranberry sauce as a foil for its richness, but cranberries are not the only option. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, Saskatoons and many others complement roasted or grilled duck. So do apples, cherries and pears. Quinces, now old-fashioned and hard to find, may be the best accompaniment of all. They are very tart and firm, but cook to a delicate rosy color and apple-like flavor when roasted.
Grain Dishes
Many grain dishes make excellent sides with a duck entree. One obvious choice is wild rice, a favorite food of the ducks themselves in Midwestern and Canadian lakes. The chewy texture and deep flavor of the wild rice is a notably good complement to duck. Conventional rice is also a good option, especially a well-aged basmati. Serve duck over wild-mushroom risotto for a memorable meal, or with a pilaf of barley, quinoa or bulgur wheat. Of course, traditional bread stuffing is also a grain-based side dish. Bake it alongside the duck, not in it, for food safety reasons.
European Options
The European culinary canon is filled with duck dishes. In France and Germany, duck is often served with slow-cooked sauerkraut. A more elegant variation is red cabbage, shredded and braised with bacon and red wine vinegar. Serve the duck and cabbage with spaetzle or buttered egg noodles. Duck in a sauce made with bitter Seville oranges, the famous duck a l'orange, is one of the glories of French cuisine. In the south of France duck is often served with olives, while in France and Italy roasted pearl onions are a popular accomaniment.
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