This is a roasted duck with green olives. I bought a fresh grade A Canada duck weighing two kg and that was just enough for three. Duck meat is very tasty, rich in nutrients and quite different from chicken. It is not so tender and fairly fat so it is prepared differently.

First, empty the cavity completely, removing liver etc.., also remove any fatty tisuues near the end, insert 4 cloves garlic, 2 slices bacon and thyme and start roasting on 325 for 1h45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, skim out the fat in a gravy separator, prick the skin with a fork, add the vegetables. Today, I had a potato, 2 baby white turnips, and 2 beets per person. 30 minutes later, skim out the excess fat again, prick the skin and finish for 30 minutes more. The duck skin should be a nice golden brown and crispy by now. Adjust the oven temperature the last 10 minutes if you need to brown the skin more.

Prick the skin with a fork to release the fat

We have cooked this small duck  at a low temperature for so long so that the fat would melt and could be removed and so that the meat is not overcooked and dry.

The sauce:

While this duck is finishing cooking in the oven, chop a shallot or a small onion very fine, sauté it in a non-stick pot, turn the heat off. Pour the juices, now at the bottom of your gravy separator, into the pot, add a tbsp mustard, a tbsp cognac or balsamic, stir well. Add and dissolve 1 tbsp flour. When this is smooth, add a cup of broth ( any broth is fine, I just used the broth from my leeks from yesterday), turn the heat on medium and thicken the sauce while stirring. Add 3/4 cup small green olives sliced, salt and pepper. Do not boil.

Carve the duck, set on a hot plate with the vegetables. Pour four spoons of sauce on the meat only.

A few chopped up sun-dried tomatoes or a tbsp tomato paste  can be added to the sauce. Cream always optional. This sauce goes well with chicken as well or with pork chops.

If you do not have a gravy separator, pour the fat in a container, put in the freezer, then remove the congealed fat at the top with a spoon.