How to make
If you have bought a frozen duck, be sure to defrost it in the refrigerator for a few days. Once the duck is completely defrosted, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to reach room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 340°F (170 degrees).
The duck will be roasted for a total of 3 hours (3 hours will be divided into 4 time phases, during which you will turn the duck and pour it with the glaze).
Prepare the duck: Remove the entrails from the duck. Rinse the duck inside and out with cold water. Dry it with paper towels.
Place the duck on the work surface with the breasts facing you. With a sharp knife, carefully make incisions in the skin without reaching the meat. Prick the remaining fatty parts of the duck with the tip of a knife to ensure the release of fat, especially in very fatty birds. Sprinkle it generously with sea salt, both inside the duck cavity and outside on the skin, legs, everywhere.
Straighten the duck with the cavity facing you and add 5 chopped garlic cloves and lemon slices in it (they are only for flavoring and not for eating - you will throw them away after roasting).
The duck has hanging skin around the hole between the legs, fold the skin inwards to keep the garlic and lemon inside. Press the duck legs together and tie them with a string.
Roast the duck for 3 hours in 4 steps: Place the duck in a roasting pan, so that it lifts the duck from the bottom of the pan and the fat drips under the duck). Roast the duck with its breast facing up for 1 hour at 340°F (170 degrees).
After 1 hour of roasting, turn the duck with its breast facing down (roast the other side) for 40 minutes at 340°F (170 degrees).
Remove the pan from the oven (now you have roasted the duck for 1 hour + 40 minutes), carefully remove the duck and place it on a plate (by making sure the lemons and garlic do not fall out of the cavity - keep the skin at both ends of the duck folded) and carefully pour all of the duck fat juices from the pan in a large heat-resistant bowl or container. You can save the fat, which yoy can then use for roasted potatoes.
Turn the bird upside down again and place it in the roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Spread the duck with the balsamic mixture and place it in the oven for another 40 minutes at 340°F (170 degrees), by spreading it with the mixture every 10 minutes.
In a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of honey and 3 tablespoons of balsamic - lemon mixture, which you will have some leftover from the previous step.
Spread the duck with this honey-balsamic mixture and roast it for another 40 minutes, by spreading it again every 10 minutes.
Check the duck regularly to make sure it doesn't burn too much and you may need to lower the temperature at the end. The purpose of the spreading the duck with the mixtures is so that a pleasant crispy and fragrant skin is obtained.
Once the duck is fully roasted, take it out of the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the garlic and lemon, since you will not need them. Cut the duck and serve it.
TOTAL COOKING TIME: The duck should be roasted for a total of 3 hours at 340°F (170 degrees) and these hours are divided into 4 time phases (1 hour with breasts up + 40 minutes with breasts down + 40 minutes with breasts up and balsamic-lemon mixture + 40 minutes with honey balsamic mixture).
The crispy roasted duck is very tasty!
