Please read About Duck and Goose. For duck à l’orange, after roasting the duck, prepare Sweet-Sour Orange Pan Sauce with the pan juices.

I. For leaner ducks, like Muscovy

Remove the neck and giblets from:

Snip the wing tips off and reserve them with the giblets. Pull out any lumps of fat from around the cavities and cut away excess flaps of skin. Using a skewer, needle, or knife tip, prick the skin all over, especially over the thighs and breast. Avoid puncturing the meat.

If desired, dry-brine the bird for up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. If the bird was not dry-brined, sprinkle liberally with:

If it was dry-brined, sprinkle it with black pepper only. Place the bird breast side up on a V rack in a roasting pan or on a vertical poultry roasting rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and reduce the temperature at once to 350°F. Roast for about 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 170°F. If desired, remove the bird from the oven and carve off the breasts when they reach 135°F, then return the bird to the oven to finish cooking. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. If the breasts were separated from the rest of the bird, heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the duck breasts in the skillet skin side down and cook until deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

If desired, while the bird is roasting, use the reserved neck, giblets, and wing tips to prepare:

up through the step where it is thickened with roux. Once the bird is done, finish the gravy as directed. Alternatively, serve the bird with:

II. For geese and fattier ducks like Pekin and Rouen

Trim, prick, and dry-brine or season the duck as directed in version I. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the bird breast side up on a V rack in a roasting pan or on a vertical poultry roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for about 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 170°F. If desired, remove the bird from the oven and carve off the breasts when they reach 135°F, then return the bird to the oven to finish cooking. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. If the breasts were separated from the rest of the bird, heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the duck or goose breasts in the skillet skin side down and cook until deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes.