1 6-Pound Duck, Neck, Giblets and Liver Removed, Wing Tips Cut Off
4 Large Carrots, Cut In Half, Lengthwise
4 Stalks Celery, Cut in Half, Crosswise
1 Large Spanish Onions, Cut Into Large Slices
4 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
2 Teaspoons Coarse Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For The Sauce
4 Tablespoons Duck Fat
4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
4 Cups Homemade Chicken Stock or Canned Low Sodium Chicken Stock, Heated
1 Cup Currant Jelly
1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Wash duck thoroughly inside and out and remove any pieces of fat on the duck. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper into the duck cavity. Prick the duck all over with a knife. (Pricking the duck all over will help to render the fat so that there is none between the skin and the meat.)
Heat a medium size roasting pan over medium high heat and add the removed duck fat to pan to render. Once rendered add the duck to the pan and slowly brown the duck all over to render as much fat as possible. Once nicely browned all over, remove the duck from the pan and drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté the vegetables while scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any duck drippings. You want to coat the vegetables with the drippings.
Sprinkle the outside of the duck with the rest of the salt and pepper and set the duck on top of the sautéed vegetables. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn the heat down to 375°F and continue to roasted for one hour. After one hour turn the heat up to 450°F and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes at high heat the duck skin will be crispy.
Remove the duck from the oven and transfer to a platter. Let the duck rest until completely cooled. (Once duck is completely cooled, cut the duck in half by removing the backbone. Cut the halves into quarters. Carefully remove all of the bones from each quarter, being sure to not tear the skin. Removing the bones makes for a much more refined presentation. At this point you can refrigerate the duck until ready to serve. To reheat the duck, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Place 2 tablespoons of the reserved duck fat and heat until hot. Place the duck pieces skin side down and heat without moving the duck so as not to tear the skin. Place in a 450°F preheated oven for 10 minutes, until heated through and the skin is very crispy.)
While duck is cooling make the sauce. Remove and reserve all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the pan leaving the vegetables in the pan. Over medium heat sprinkled 4 tablespoons of flour over the vegetables and sauté for a few minutes to remove the flour flavor from the sauce. Slowly add 4 cups warm chicken stock to the pan stirring the whole time to prevent flour from clumping. Add the currant jelly, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and continue to cook the sauce for 15 minutes.
Strain the sauce to remove the vegetables. Adjust seasoning if necessary. You can serve the sauce immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. (The sauce along with the duck can be made a day or two in advance.)
Serve the sauce with the duck.
