... Scalloped Potatoes and Asparagus.
Christmas Dinner for Two!

Put a duck onto a rack in a roasting pan, stuff half an orange inside, together with half an onion cut into wedges
and a couple of bay leaves, prick the skin all over with a sharp knife, season well with sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper and roast in a 180°C oven for 70 to 80 minutes, basting from time to time with the duck fat that will
be released as it cooks.

Meanwhile, prepare scalloped potatoes as follows: peel and cut potatoes into slices and layer in a buttered casserole
dish, seasoning and scattering some thinly sliced shallots in between the layers. Pour in chicken stock to come half way
up the potatoes, dot the surface with little knobs of butter, cover with foil and back alongside the duck for about 45 minutes.
Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the top. While this is cooking, remove the skin from an orange
using a vegetable peeler, scrape off any white pith from the peel and cut into thin matchsticks. Put these into a pan with
some water and bring to the boil, simmer for a couple of minutes, drain, then repeat this process again. Drain and set aside.
This will remove any bitterness from the peel. Squeeze the juice from the orange and set this aside.

When the duck is cooked, remove and keep warm to rest, while you finish the sauce. Tip off any excess fat from the roasting pan
and put over a low heat. Stir in a Tbs of plain flour, scraping up all the brown bits from the pan, then, off the heat, stir
in some chicken stock, mixing well to dissolve the roux. Return to the heat, adding the juice from the orange together with
the blanched orange peel and a small glass of dry white wine (or dry vermouth). Bring to a boil and simmer gently for a few
minutes until smooth and thickened. You can add a little gravy browning, or even a splash of dark soy sauce, to the gravy
to intensify the colour.

To serve, carve the duck and serve with the sauce, some scalloped potatoes and a green veg such as asparagus.