Roast Crisp Duck

Ingredients

• 4-5 lbs duck
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 orange, unpeeled, 1/2 inch cut off both ends
• 1 apple, unpeeled, 1/2 inch cut off both ends
• 1 onion
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 orange, sliced

SAUCE

• 1 orange, rind of, coarsely grated
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons duck fat
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• 4 tablespoons currant jelly
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup duck broth (or duck drippings*)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions

1. 1

   Wash duck with cold water. Dry it well. Salt inside and out. Sprinkle lemon juice in cavity and rub skin with lemon juice too. If duck is fresh killed, refrigerate it for 1 or 2 days.

2. 2

   Place orange, apple and onion in cavity of duck. These will be removed after roasting and discarded. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. 3

   Truss bird by bringing cord under back and around sides of breasts, under tail, and then tie around legs. Place duck on a rack in an open roasting pan and cook for 1 hour.

4. 4

   Set oven up to 400°F and roast 30 to 60 minutes more. During this time, turn bird for even browning and baste with orange juice.

5. 5

   Remove duck from oven and drain all fat from pan. Save brown drippings and 2 tablespoons fat for your sauce.

6. 6

   Duck may be kept in oven while you cook the sauce.

7. 7

   If you own a rotissierie by all means use it. This is an excellent method for duck. Allow about one hour on high heat. Entire cooking time for oven roasting should be 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

8. 8

   For family style service, cut duck into eighths 30 minutes before dinner. Place duck and orange slices on an ovenproof platter. Coat all with sauce. Before serving, broil for 1 minute, 4 inches below flame. Yield: 2 to 3 servings.

9. 9

   FOR THE SAUCE:.

10. 10

    Simmer rind and water for 5 minutes. Add duck fat with brown sugar, orange juice, jelly, lemon juice and duck broth. Simmer all gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Blend cornstarch with water in a cup. Add the cornstarch mixture slowly, if you obtain the desired thickness before you have used it all, stop.

11. 11

    *If you have not used giblets to prepare broth, hold roasted duck over sauce to allow cavity juices to run down into sauce. This fortifies the duck flavor of the sauce.

12. 12

    Lessons in Gourmet Cooking.