Salamagundi

Description
Salamagundi has been a popular cold dish in the north of England for centuries, often incorporating other cold meats, fish and a variety of vegetables. You can omit the duck if you like. Serves 8.

Ingredients

 * Duckling - 1 weighing about 2.3 kg (5 lb),
 * Chicken - 1 weighing about 2 kg (4 lb),
 * Carrots - 450g (1 lb) cut into 0.5 cm, batons,
 * Potatoes - 450g (1 lb) peeled,
 * Vegetable oil - 150 ml,
 * Lemon juice - 5 tbsp,
 * Mustard powder - a pinch,
 * Sugar - a pinch,
 * Peas - 450g (1 lb) shelled and cooked,
 * Cucumber - 1 sliced,
 * Tomatoes - 225g (8 oz) thinly sliced,
 * Celery - 4 sticks thinly sliced,
 * Eggs - 4 hard-boiled, optional,
 * Mayonnaise - optional,
 * Slices of stuffed olives and radishes - to garnish.

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6.

2. Weigh the duckling, prick the skin all over with a skewer or sharp fork. Place breast-side down on a rack in a roasting tin. Roast in the top of the oven, basting occasionally, for 20 minutes per 450g (1 lb).

3. Weigh the chicken. Place in a shallow roasting tin and roast below the duck on the lowest shelf of the oven for 20 minutes per 450g (1 lb) plus 20 minutes. Cool both for 1-2 hours until cool enough to handle.

4. Make a slit along each side of the breast bone of both the chicken and the duck. Remove and discard the skin.

5. Carefully remove all the flesh from the carcasses and cut the flesh of the birds into thin strips about 5 cm (2 inches) long.

6. Cook the carrots in boiling water for 8 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and leave to cool, then dice finely.

7. Make the dressing by whisking the oil, lemon juice, mustard and sugar together.

8. Choose a large oval platter for making up the salamagundi. Place the potato and peas in the bottom of the dish to give a flat base. Arrange the carrot strips or a layer of cucumber on top, following the oval shape of the platter.

9. Pour over a little dressing. Next, arrange a layer of cucumber or carrot, slightly inside the first layer so that it may be easily seen.

10. Top with more layers of chicken, peas, tomato slices, celery and duck. Make each layer smaller than the previous one so that the lowest layers can all be seen. Sprinkle each layer with dressing. Continue layering until all the ingredients are used up.

11. If using the eggs, shell and halve them, then top each half with a little mayonnaise. garnish with a few radish slices and stuffed olives, arranged around the edge of the dish.