Recipe: Duck a L'Orson

You'll need:

• 1 Long Island duckling, approximately 5 lbs.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 jar Big Orson's Citizen Cajun Mango-habañero salsa, your choice of heat level

The day before roasting, remove the duck from its packaging, remove the neck, giblets and the orange sauce packet from the cavity. Rinse it thoroughly, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it, uncovered into the refrigerator on a cooling rack on top of a sheet. The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, remove the duck from the fridge and pierce it all over (roughly every ½ to ¾ of an inch apart) with a fork, skewer or small paring knife. Season the duck inside and out with the Kosher salt and pepper and place it on a roasting pan (preferably one with a rack) in which you have poured a cup or so of water. Place the duck in the oven and roast for about 3 hours. In the last hour of roasting, pour the jar of Citizen Cajun salsa into a blender and puree it thoroughly. At the 3 hour point, remove the duck from the oven, raise the oven temp to 450 degrees and pour off the excess fat (you will want to save this for sauteing mushrooms with later). Return the duck to the oven and roast it until the skin is brown and crispy"about another 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, open the oven and brush the duck with the reduced salsa glaze. Repeat this 10 minutes later. Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving. In that last 20 minutes, brush the duck with the glaze another 4 or 5 times. Carve the duck into quarters and serve with a generous dollop of the glaze on each plate. Serves 4.