Roasted duck more delicious than thought

The prospect of roasting a duck strikes many a home cook as a mountain too high, but I’m not sure why.
It’s definitely no more complicated than cooking a whole turkey, and I think it tastes far better. Some folks surely suspect that duck is gamey, but that’s only true of some wild ducks. It’s not true of the kind known as Pekin (or Long Island) duck, the domesticated product most widely available at supermarkets.
Other folks shy away because they’ve heard that duck is too fatty and rich. Sure enough, there is a fair amount of fat in duck, but most of it is in and under the skin. The meat itself actually is quite lean. And — surprise! — duck fat, unlike beef fat and most kinds of poultry fat, boasts some of the same healthy attributes as olive oil.
So this holiday season why not roast a duck? As noted, it’s pretty simple. However, you do need to set aside enough time to let the bird cook properly in the oven, just as you would when roasting a turkey. The goal is a bird with crispy skin and moist meat. The easiest way to make it happen? Roast the duck low and slow, pricking the skin every so often to drain out the fat. (Do be careful, however, not to prick the meat; you don’t want to lose any juices from the meat.)
At the end of the process, the duck is treated to a final crisping in a high-heat oven, then retired for a nice long rest to let the juices redistribute before the bird is carved.
The slow-roasting process provides you with ample time to make a succulent sauce from the bird’s giblets, neck and wings. Those parts are browned in a saucepan along with onions, carrots and garlic, then simmered in red wine and chicken broth, and finally finished with green peppercorns and Dijon mustard. (You’re welcome to lose the peppercorns if they’re too hot for you.)
The end result is a wonderfully tasty duck swimming in a French-style sauce. Fancy! And much more interesting than turkey. Your guests will think you are a culinary genius.
BISTRO-STYLE SLOW-ROASTED DUCK
Start to finish: 4 hours 50 minutes (50 minutes active)
5½- to 6-pound Pekin (Long Island) duck
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. drained bottled green peppercorns, packed in brine
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Heat oven to 250 F. Remove neck and giblets from the duck cavity, pat dry and reserve. (Save liver for another use, such as sauteing and serving on toast.)
Cut the last two joints of the wings off and reserve. Remove excess fat from the duck cavity and cut off the flap of skin at the back end of the duck. (You can save skin and fat to render into duck fat for future use.) Rinse duck under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Using the tip of a paring knife, prick the duck all over, in ½-inch intervals, inserting the knife at an angle to pierce just the skin, not the flesh. Make sure to prick the skin around the leg thigh joint thoroughly, as there is a lot of fat stored there. Season duck well with salt and pepper.
Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast on the oven’s middle shelf for 3½ hours, removing the roasting pan after the first and second hour of roasting to re-prick the duck skin.
After the duck has roasted for 3½ hours, carefully pour off all fat at the bottom of the pan (reserving it for other uses, such as sauteing potatoes), and increase oven temperature to 450 F. Return duck to the oven and roast it for 10 minutes.
Transfer duck to a platter, cover with foil, then let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
While the duck is roasting, cut the neck and wings into 1½-inch pieces. In a large saucepan over medium-high, heat vegetable oil. Add neck, giblets and wings. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook until vegetables are lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Boil until most of the wine has evaporated. Add celery, thyme, bay leaf, broth and 1 cup water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface and adding water to the saucepan if the liquid dips below the bones, until the duck is ready to come out of the oven.
While the duck is resting, strain stock and discard solids. Measure liquid. You should have about 1½ cups. If you have more, boil the liquid down. If you have less, add water.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and ¼-cup water. In saucepan, bring duck stock to a boil, add flour mixture in a stream, whisking. Bring mixture back to a boil and simmer 4 minutes. Stir in green peppercorns and mustard, then season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Carve duck and serve each portion with some of the sauce.
Servings: 4
For a video demonstrating how to prepare the duck for roasting, go to: https://youtu.be/K7w0sDBT-0Y
Nutrition information per serving: 980 calories; 670 calories from fat (68 percent of total calories); 75 g fat (25 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 210 mg cholesterol; 850 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 50 g protein.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including “Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”