Slow Roasted Duck This recipe works with any sort of waterfowl. Domestic ducks typically serve two to four. As for wild birds, a mallard, canvasback, redhead, gadwall or pintail will serve two (if you have other things on the plate), a goose four and a wood duck, bluebill, wigeon, ringneck or teal one.

Serves 4.

Prep Time: 30 minutes, mostly rest time

Cook Time: 1 hour

• 1 domesticated duck or 2 very fat wild ducks (see above for species variations)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 4 sprigs sage, rosemary, parsley and/or thyme

______________

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Take the ducks out of the fridge. Using a needle or a very sharp knife point, prick the skin of the duck all over — but be sure to not pierce the meat itself, only the skin. This helps the fat render out and will help crisp the skin. Pay special attention to the back, the flanks, and the very front of the breast.
2. Rub the lemon all over the duck and stick it inside the cavity. Liberally salt the bird; use a little more salt than you think you need. Stuff the cavity with the herbs. Let the duck sit out for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
3. When you are ready to roast, put the duck on an iron frying pan or other ovenproof pan and surround it with root vegetables. Set the pan in the oven. Cook domesticated ducks for 1 hour like this. Cook large wild ducks like mallards and pintails for 45 minutes. Small ducks (wood ducks, wigeon, teal, ruddies, etc.) only need 40 minutes. If you are roasting a goose, increase the roasting time to 1 hour, 20 minutes. After the allotted time, take the pan out of the oven and set the ducks on a cutting board to rest. Spoon any fat that has accumulated over the vegetables and salt them well. If the veggies are ready to eat, remove them. If there is a lot of excess fat, spoon it off.
4. Now turn the heat up to 450°F. When the oven hits this temperature, roast the birds for 15 to 20 more minutes, or until the skin is crisp. The reason you take the bird out of the oven is because a) the resting time helps redistribute the juices in the bird midstream, and b) you are crisping skin without totally overcooking the duck by only returning it to the oven when it is hot.
5. Remove from oven and let the birds rest. You’ll only need 5 minutes resting time for small birds, 10 minutes for large ducks, and 15 for geese.