Roasted Duck

1. Remove organs, if any are included. (These can be kept for duck stock)
2. Rough up the rosemary to release the oils (I used a rolling pin) until you can smell the rosemary explosion.
3. Combine olive oil with orange juice, rosemary, and salt in a Ziplock freezer bag large enough to hold the duck.
4. Shake it up a bit and then add the duck. Squeeze out extra air, seal bag, and put in fridge for 1.5-2.5 hours.
5. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325 F. In a roasting pan, line the bottom with the sprigs of rosemary from the brine, and place duck on top, breast up.
6. Use a meat thermometer (make sure it’s an oven-safe one, not a digital one that you have to keep reaching in to use. That’s just a pain). This will save you from guessing if our bird is done – duck is just too good to mess up. Internal temperature should be 165 F. This should take around 60-80 minutes (depending on your bird) – until the skin is brown and crispy.
7. If you need to brown up the skin a little more, use the broiler, but for the love of everything good, do not forget about it and burn the skin! If you’re busy with side dishes, set a time for every few minutes to check on it. Seriously.

Cherry Sauce

1. In the meantime, in a sauce pan simmer the cherries and rosemary sprig over medium heat.
2. Stir occasionally and cook until cherries start to break down.
3. Remove rosemary.
4. Mash with a fork, or blend for a smoother consistency.
5. Set aside until time to spoon over plated duck.

Do not throw any piece of this bird out! I highly recommend making duck stock from the bones and organs, and you must render the fat and try duck cracklings.