Title: Roast Duckling - Beard on Birds, James Beard
Categories: Poultry
Yield: 1 Servings

1		Duck, 4-5 pounds
		Salt and freshly ground
		Black pepper
		Dried thyme or rosemary ( I
		Like both!)
1		Onion, stuck with 2 cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub the duckling with salt and pepper and the thyme or rosemary. Place the onion in the cavity. Set the duckling on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven, allowing one hour for rare duck, 1 1/2 hours for medium rare and 2 hours for well done. After 30 minutes of roasting, prick the skin all over several times to release the fat. If you like a crisp skin, increase the heat to 500 degrees F for the final 15 minutes of roasting and cut the total time by 5 minutes. To test for doneness, prick the thigh joint with a fork. If the juices run pink, the duck should be medium rare; if they run clear, it should be well done. duck does not lend itself to carving, and it is best to cut it into halves or quarters with poultry shears. One duckling will feed two people.

VARIATIONS:

Curry and honey: mix 1/4 cup honey with 1 1/2 tblsp curry powder. After the duck has cooked for 1 hour, brush at intervals with this mixture to give the skin a nice glaze.

Au Poivre: 1/2 hour before the duck is done, remove it from the oven and press 1 tblsp coarsley ground black pepper into the skin. Return to the oven to finish cooking.

From: Christy Pringle

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