Roast Duck With Fig, Red Wine, And Thyme Sauce

• 1 Pekin duck, about 5-6 pounds
• 1/2 medium onion
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Fig, red wine, and thyme sauce
• 5 1/2 ounces dried Calimyrna figs
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 475 F.
2. Pat the duck dry with a kitchen towel. Cut the onion into 4 pieces, then place inside of the duck with the thyme and parsley sprigs. Mix together the salt and pepper, then rub into the duck skin all over.
3. Place the duck in a roasting pan and roast in the oven at 475 F for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 F and roast for a further 1 to 1 1/4 hours until juices run clear if the duck is cut into. Alternately, a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh of the duck will be 170 F when the duck is fully cooked.
4. Next, turn the broiler in your oven on and move the oven rack so that the duck is 4 inches away from the flame. Let broil for 3 minutes so that the duck has a crisp, golden brown skin.
5. Remove the duck from the oven and place on a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the fig, red wine, and thyme sauce.
6. Peel and finely mince both the shallot and garlic. In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the shallot. Saute over medium heat until the shallot has softened and gone a bit translucent. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for an additional minute.
7. Chop the dried figs into 1/2 inch sized pieces. Add the figs, red wine, chicken broth, and thyme. Bring the mixture to almost a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
8. As the sauce simmers, periodically lightly mash the figs with a fork - you'll want the sauce to have a slightly chunky consistency, but still be somewhat smooth. Let the sauce simmer until the figs have softened and the liquid has reduced so that you have a somewhat thick sauce. Depending on the width of your pan, this can take 20-40 minutes.
9. Stir in the remaining two tablespoons of butter and the balsamic vinegar. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as desired.
10. Serve the sauce warm with the duck slices.

pekin duck, onion, thyme, parsley, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, red wine, figs, butter, shallot, clove garlic, red wine, chicken broth, thyme, balsamic vinegar

Taken from food52.com/recipes/41437-roast-duck-with-fig-red-wine-and-thyme-sauce (may not work)