Despite the fattiness, I love duck. I found that BJs carries whole duck for a very reasonable price. Martha's recipe called for 4 hours of roasting time. After 3 hours, my duck was overdone. I also wasn't a fan of the sauce, but my dinner guests were.
Roast Duck with Pomegranate Molasses
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cooking School
5 pound duck
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (recipe follows)
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
Pomegranate Molasses (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 300. Remove any extra pieces from the cavity and rinse thoroughly. Lightly score the duck breast skin in a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to pierce the flesh. Season with salt and pepper inside and out.
Roast duck breast side up for 1 hour. Remove from oven and prick skin all over to ensure the fat is rendering. Turn the duck breast side down and roast another hour. Turn duck over again and prick any fatty spots that aren't rendering. Roast for 30 minutes, or until browned.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Combine honey, molasses, and juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Increase temperature to 400, brush the duck with the glaze and roast 10 minutes or until the skin is crisp and brown. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve duck with a side of Pomegranate Molasses.
Pomegranate Molasses
Adapted from Simply Recipes
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
In a large, uncovered saucepan, heat pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice on medium high until the sugar has dissolved and the juice simmers. Reduce heat just enough to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about an hour and a half, or until the juice has a syrupy consistency, and has reduced to 1 to 1 1/4 cups.