Roast duck with apples (Paleo)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large duck;
• 6 small apples;
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock;
• 1 onion, peeled and halved;
• 1 tbsp five-spice;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
   to taste;


PREPARATION

1 Preheat your oven to 425 F.

2 Score the skin on the duck’s breast to let the
natural fat melt easily.

3 Stuff the cavity of the duck with the halved
onion and rub the exterior all over with the fivespice powder.

4 Place the duck in a roasting pan and in the preheated oven to roast for about 35 minutes.

5 After 35 minutes, score the apples crosswise in
the middle, place them around the duck, reduce
the oven temperature to 375 F, baste the duck
with its own rendered fat and roast for another
30 to 45 minutes, until well cooked. Place a piece
of aluminium foil over the bird near the end if
the skin starts to brown too much. Duck is usually cooked more rare than chicken or turkey
and is similar to red meat in that matter.

6 Remove from the oven, set the duck and apples
aside and ladle off most of the rendered duck fat
in the pan, reserving it as a cooking fat for later
use.

7 Place the pan over a medium heat on the stove
top and pour in the chicken stock.

8 Bring to a boil and carefully scrape off the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits stuck
on the bottom.

9 Season the sauce to taste with sea salt and
freshly ground black pepper and let simmer to
reduce to the desired consistency. Add some of
the rendered duck fat if needed to thicken the
sauce.

10 Carve the duck and serve it with the roasted
apples and the pan sauce.