Ingredients

  • 5 ½ lbs. duck, whole
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 30 grams bacon, streaky chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons garlic chopped
  • ½ onion sliced
  • 2 anchovy fillets optional
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 110 milliliters red wine vinegar =1/2 cup
  • 610 milliliters veal stock =2 1/2 cups

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425*F/220*C/GM 7. Cut wings at first joint. Reserve cut wing tips, livers and giblets for sauce. Combine zest, minced thyme, salt and pepper. Loosen duck skin and tuck mixture in between meat and skin, beginning at tip of the breastbone and working back towards the legs and thighs. Be careful not to break skin. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place roasting pan in oven and heat for 10 minutes. Place prepared ducks, breast-side up, in pan and roast 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove ducks from pan and let cool to room temperature.
2. Brown bacon until just crispy. Leave bacon in pan and pour off all fat except 1 tablespoon. Add duck livers, wing tips, giblets, garlic, onion, herbs and anchovies and brown over moderate heat, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in vinegar, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add veal stock, bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the sauce through a sieve, pressing hard on the solids to extract the maximum amount of sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
3. Increase oven temperature to 450*F/230*C/GM 8. Cut duck breasts and legs from carcasses. Trim off excess fat. Heat an ovenproof skillet over high heat and add duck pieces skin-side down. Cook over high heat until skin sizzles, about 1 minute. Lower the heat and gently crisp the duck skin for 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Cover tightly with a lid or with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes until the skin is crisp and the meat cooked through. Serve duck with sauce.

Notes
Serving Ideas:Original serves 8.


Categories
Game, main course
Keywords
Game, main course
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