-
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.
