Ratzsch's Roast Duckling with Celery Dressing

Ingredients

Celery Dressing
1 Cup Onion, chopped Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Cup Currants
1 Cup Giblets, cooked
1 Egg
1 Cup Celery, chopped
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Poultry Seasoning 1/4 Cup Apple, chopped
4 Cups Toasted Bread Cubes
2 Tablespoons Parsley, chopped
Duck
5 and 1/2 Pound Duck, cleaned
Freshly Ground Black Pepper Crisco
Salt
2 Cups Chicken Stock

Instructions

To make the stuffing, saute the celery and onion in butter until tender. Put in large mixing bowl. Grind the cooked giblets in a processor. To the onions and celery add all the rest of the dressing ingredients. Mix well. Season the cavity of the duck with salt and pepper. Stuff loosely with celery dressing. Sew openings of the duck and truss the legs. Prick lower thighs and lower breast with a fork. Melt crisco to measure 1/2 inch depth in a shallow roasting pan. Have oven set at 450 degrees. Place the duck in shortening, breast side up. Brown and turn to brown the second side. Return to breast side up. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. Test for doneness by lifting leg. It will be very flexible when done. The duck should be crispy. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Pour off all the fat in the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and deglaze on top of the range over high heat, by scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add remaining stock and reduce to 1 cup over high heat. Correct seasoning and thicken with a flour and butter roux. (Melt the butter into the sauce and gradually add flour, stirring vigorously.