Samhain Roast Duck

Preheat oven to 375 F.

While preheating, take a large roaster pan with V rack. Brush bottom with mixture of corn and olive oil. Wash three large white potatoes, halve, score with deep and shallow cuts, and place in circle around a custard dish in center of pan. Take 4 purple potatoes, medium to medium-small, and wash and score, adding to circle around whites (I halved the two larger ones). Wash and de-seed one medium kabocha squash. Cut into eight pieces and place around purple potatoes (as in picture). Arrange so that rack will go down over them without trouble.

Take custard dish and add 2 tbsp caramel apple wine, 2 tbsp honey crisp apple wine (with honey and cinnamon), 1/8 tsp ground mace, 1/4 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon, two stars of star anise, and a few small pieces of the kabocha squash. Do NOT stir up. Take one Perfectly Pear white tea bag and place carefully across top. Return to center of pan. Sprinkle each piece of potato or squash lightly a few times with ground mace and ceylon cinnamon.

Open up 2.24 lb duck and remove gizzards and such to a bag for later use. Wash duck in cool water. Prick duck skin all over to allow fat to drain during cooking; I like to use a spaghetti fork for this, especially one with barbs on the tines. Turn breast-side up and carefully pour 2 tbsp each of the wines above into the cavity, tipping duck back if need be to insure it goes inside. Don't worry if you lose a little into the pan. Place a washed whole fuji apple in open end and close up using a wooden skewer through the legs and skin flap (trim ends). Sprinkle duck with ground mace, ceylon cinnamon, and salt and pin wings to it with another skewer. Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours.

Since I did not use much salt for this recipe, you can salt to taste. It turned out delicious with a nice, light flavor to it from the mace, cinnamon, and wines, and we have plenty of duck fat and liquids to use for another recipe. The custard dish beneath (which I like to call my crucible) allows flavors to rise up into the duck.