Tasty Duck Two-Ways

1 Five Pound duck
10 Sprigs of thyme
2 Sprigs of rosemary
4 Cloves of garlic, smashed
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Gastrique:
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, minced
1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup blackberry preserves
This dish may seem difficult, but honestly, the most difficult thing about it is separating the duck, which you can just take to a butcher and ask them to do it. Other than that, it's actually incredibly straight forward. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, with the rack in the middle position.
Now, when you shop for duck, the only duck worth using is a young duckling that should be about 4 to 5 pounds. Luckily, that's probably the only duck you'll be able to find. It'll be frozen, and that's okay, don't worry. Just let it dethaw in the refrigerator for a few days, or in a sink full of water for a couple hours. Remove any additional pinfeathers, take out the stupid pop-up timer, and remove the giblet package. To separate the duck, find the breastbone, which is much more pronounced on a duck than a chicken, and gently cut down either side of it. One by one, pull the breast off the bone by gently sliding your knife between the carcass and the flesh and pulling it with your fingers. Once you get down to the bottom of the breast, replace it on the carcass, find where the breast ends and the thigh starts, and cut the thigh away from the carcass using the same system and cutting as close to the bone as possible until you get to the joint that holds the thigh in place. At this point, continue with the breast until it has been completely removed. Finally, pop the leg joint out of place and remove the thigh and leg. Remove the skin from the breasts.
Now, in a baking dish lined with aluminum foil, place the herbs and garlic. Set the leg quarters of the duck directly on top of the herbs, to infuse the flavor. Season the duck, prick any fatty parts of the skin with a fork, and drizzle some oil on the top. Cover it tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours until tender. Once it's done, reheat the oven to 425, throw away the foil and herbs, pat the duck dry and place back into the oven, uncovered for another 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
While it's doing that, cook the garlic and onions for the gastrique in some oil for about a minute and add the water, vinegar, and preserves and simmer over medium heat until you are left with a third of the sauce.
While the sauce is cooking, preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the duck breasts(don't forget to season them with salt and pepper first) for about 5 minutes on each side, until medium in the center(duck, unlike chicken, should not be well done).
When all is done, slice the breast and place it on the plate, accompanied by the gastrique. Serve the leg quarter over a bed of baby arugula with something starchy, such as roasted butternut squash. Serve immediately.