rendered pork fat (ahem...bacon grease or cooking oil)
an herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, ¼ teaspoon thyme, 1 tablespoon tarragon
2 lbs fresh carrots
2-3 tablespoons minced parsely
Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325˚.
Season in the cavity of the duck with salt and pepper, truss the bird and then prick the skin (not the meat) around the thighs, back and lower part of the breast. Make sure the duck is nice and dry.
Place the casserole (also known as a dutch oven) on the stove over high heat.
Add the fat or oil and brown the duck on all sides.
Pour out the browning fat (I like to save this for other cooking - super good for frying potatoes in). Sprinkle some salt over the duck and place it breast side up in the casserole. Add the herb bouquet and put the lid on. Put it in the oven for 50-60 minutes. This is pretty much set it and forget it, no basting is necessary.
While the duck is cooking, cut up the carrots into about ¾ inch dice. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and then add the carrots and simmer for about 5 minutes, drain and set aside until the duck comes out of the oven.
Once the duck has roasted, pull the casserole out of the oven and add the carrots to the pot. Toss them in the fat that has collected in the bottom of the pot, replace the lid and roast another 30-40 minutes, until the juices of the duck run a pale rose (medium rare) or clear (well done). Remember duck is a dark meat, not white like chicken.
My carrots were not quite as roasted as I wanted them at this point, so I pulled the duck out for carving and popped the carrots back into the oven at 400˚ to further caramelize them, about 15 more minutes.
Carve up the duck, place it over the carrots, sprinkle with parsley and serve with some of the collected juices at the bottom of the pot.
Recipe by Foods of Our Lives at https://www.foodsofourlives.com/2014/04/casserole-roasted-duck-with-carrots/