Mediterranean Slow Roast Duck with Olive Sauce

Ingredients

• whole (5 pound1/2.3 kg) young duck
• medium sized onions, coarsely chopped
• large celery rib, slice d
• garlic clove s, halved
• and 1/2 tablespoon sfresh thyme, chopped (or 2 teaspoon sdried thyme)
• 1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped (plus extra to garnish)
• bay leaves
• teaspoon ssea salt
• teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• teaspoon herbes de Provence
• Neckback, wing tips, heart, and liver of the duck (*see footnote 1)
• medium sized onion, slice d
• tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• cup homemade poultry stock(or boxed chicken stock)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• and 1/2 cup spitted olives
• 1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 C). Prepare a 9 by 11 inch roasting pan.
2. Spread onion, celery, cloves, thyme, and parsley in the pan to make a bed for the duck.
3. Combine sea salt, black pepper, and herbes de Provence in a small bowl.
4. Prick the duck skin every 1/2 inch with the tines of a fork. Rub both sides of the duck with the sea salt mixture. Set duck on top of the veggies, skin side up.
5. Roast uncovered for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F (135 C).
7. Cover the pan with aluminium foil. Return the pan (you don’t need to wait until the oven temperature drops to 275 F) to bake until the duck turns very tender, about 3 and 1/2 hours.
8. Prepare the sauce while baking the duck.
9. Turn off the oven. Let the duck sit in the oven for another 30 minutes.
10. Carefully transfer the duck to a work surface. The duck will be very tender now and the meat will fall apart easily with a simple pull. Remove loose bones by hand. Discard the bones and the veggies in the pan. Save 1 teaspoon duck fat for later use. (Footnote 2)
11. Quarter the duck use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the duck into two equal pieces, between the breast and thigh. As most of the bones have been removed, it should be easy to slice the duck without affecting its shape.
12. Wrap each piece of duck with aluminum foil to keep it moist until you’re ready to serve it. If you’re making the duck a day ahead, place the wrapped duck in an air tight container and store in the fridge. If storing longer, place the container in the freezer.