Roast Duck with Blood Orange-Lillet Sauce

• Meat

  • 1 Duck giblets and neck
  • 5 lbs Young duck

• Produce

  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 5 Blood orange
  • 2 Carrots, medium
  • 2 stalks Celery
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • 16 Sage, leaves
  • 1 Tomato
  • 1 Vidalia onion, medium

• Canned Goods

  • 4 cups Chicken stock

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • 4 tbsp Flour
  • 1 Pepper, Cracked
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 2 tbsp Sugar

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/3 cup Cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil

• Other

  • ⅔ cup Lillet

Found on adrunkenduck.com

Ingredients

• 1 5-6 lbs young duck
• 2-3 blood oranges
• ⅓ cup Lillet
• 8 sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• duck giblets and neck
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium Vidalia onion
• 1 tomato
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• ⅔ cup Lillet
• 8 sage leaves chopped
• 4 tablespoons flour
• pinch of salt
• cracked pepper
• ⅓ cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 blood oranges

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F \ 190°C.
• Remove giblets and neck from cavity of duck and temporarily place in refrigerator. Also remove any large fatty tissues that may be inside.
• Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. We will be carefully pouring this boiling water over our duck before it goes into the oven. This will help crisp up the skin.
• Meanwhile, rinse duck, both inside and out, and pat dry with paper towel. Tilt duck to drain any water inside cavity.
• With duck resting breast side up, fold wing tips up and around over breast and secure them under the ducks back. With the wings folded back in this way, the duck sits more squarely on a platter.
• Tuck loose skin and fat around neck inside neck opening. Season inside of cavity with salt and pepper.
• Cut one unpeeled blood orange into sections and stuff inside cavity along with a handful of fresh sage leaves.
• Bend duck tail up and stuff inside cavity. You will probably have to exert a little pressure.
• Using a 12-inch piece of butcher string, loosely tie legs together. When duck roasts, the legs tend to splay out in a rather unladylike fashion.
• Using a very sharp knife slice a crosshatch pattern in breast fat cap. Be careful to not cut into the meat. This is where a very sharp knife comes in handy. Using a skewer or two-pronged fork, poke holes into fat layer on legs and sides of duck. All of this cutting and poking creates places for rendered duck fat to escape during roasting.
• Place duck breast side up into roasting rack and set rack in sink. Carefully pour boiling water over duck and allow to cool for a minute or two. Tilt duck to drain cavity.
• Set rack with duck into roasting pan. Pour ⅓ cup Lillet over duck and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water to bottom of roasting pan. Water will help the roasting pan juices from burning and smoking.
• Roast for 45 minutes. Remove duck, squeeze juice from 1 blood orange over duck breast and turn duck so that breast side is down. Continue roasting for another 30 minutes.
• Again turn duck so that breast side is up, squeeze juice from another blood orange over duck, and return to over to roast for another 45 minutes.
• Make reduction sauce: Meanwhile, over medium heat add oil to large 2-quart sauce pan. Brown chopped duck giblets and neck cut into several pieces for 10 minutes until well browned.
• Add roughly chopped carrots, celery, onion, tomato, smashed garlic clove and saute in oil and duck fat until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add Lillet to pan to deglaze, scraping up the fond.
• Add chicken (or duck) stock, bay leaves, chopped sage leaves, and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Sprinkle in flour very slowly to thicken, stirring between the addition of each tablespoon. Continue simmering for 45 minutes.
• In a smaller sauce pan, heat cider vinegar and sugar over medium-low heat and cook until sugar is dissolved, for about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain solids from broth, returning broth back to sauce pan. Add vinegar and sugar mixture to broth. Taste for seasons and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. Squeeze in juice from 3 blood oranges and add to sauce. Continue cooking sauce until thickened and reduces by a third. Skim fat from top.
• Final steps: Our duck will be done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F \ 75°C.
• Allow duck to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
• Serve sliced duck with heated reduction sauce.