All photographs by Len Boccassini ©Foodidude.com

Ingredients: 7 to 7-1/2 lb. Pork Shoulder Roast Rub Ingredients: 2 tbsp sea salt 2 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp onion powder 1 tbsp black pepper 2 tbsp paprika 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp ground mustard 2 tbsp brown sugar Preparation: Preheat oven to 350º. Rinse and pat dry roast with paper towels. With a sharp knife (or perhaps, a razor), cut a criss-cross pattern into the layer of skin and fat that covers the lower portion of the roast. Be careful as it can be quite difficult to cut without a sharp blade. Thoroughly combine the dry rub ingredients in a bowl. With your hands, work the dry mix rub into the entire shoulder, carefully getting each nook and cranny. Work it in and rub it (hence, the name, "RUB"!). Pour two cups of water into bottom of roasting pan. Place rubbed shoulder on the roasting pan's rack and place in oven. Cook approximately 5 hours until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 170º. Yes, I know the National Pork Board recommends an internal temperature of 145º to 160º, but not here. If you want the enjoy a crispy bark that reveals a fall-away-from-the-bone meat, go to 170º. Let rest 8-10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Every hour or so, check the roast. You may need add water to the bottom of the roasting pan as necessary due to evaporation.

All photographs by Len Boccassini ©2016

Ingredients: 1 duck, fresh or frozen 1 bulb of garlic 1 orange, quartered 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon 1 tbsp coarse salt (I used a homemade coarse smoked salt) 1 tbsp sea salt 1/2 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp paprika 1/2 tbsp granulated garlic Preparation: Preheat oven to 375º. Rinse duck inside and out under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set duck on work surface and look for any areas of excess fat (see photo at right). Remove the excess fat. After excess fat is trimmed, turn over and tuck remaining neck skin under body and secure to back with a wood skewer to close the top upper cavity. While the bird is on its breast, use a sharp paring knife to poke a series of small holes in the duck's more fatty parts to allow the release of fats during cooking. Once again, turn the duck on its back and repeat the process; again, in the fattier parts. Very carefully, score the breast in a diamond crosshatch pattern. (DO NOT pierce through to the meat or you will dry it out! Simply score the skin and fat layer.) When that is done, rub the inside cavity with the coarse salt. I used a smoked salt which imparted a subtle, smokey element into the end result. Remove the top section from the bulb of garlic and insert the remaining portion into the chest cavity along with the orange quarters and tarragon. Secure the tail section to the legs with butcher's cord. Tuck the wings under the body. Combine the paprika, sea salt, black pepper and granulated garlic to make a rub. Take the mixture and rub it into the breast and legs of the duck. Be sure to work it into the score marks on the breast. Place duck, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan, and place in 375º oven for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and drain dripping from roasting pan. Carefully turn duck and cook breast side down for 50 minutes. Repeat the above and cook breast side up for 45 minutes. Remove and baste breast with orange sauce and continue to cook for a final 20 minutes. Remove and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

After first 50 minutes in the oven.

After the second stint roasted breast up.

Recipe for Orange Sauce:

All photographs by Len Boccassini ©2016

Ingredients: 2 to 3 Russet potatoes 6 to 8 strips of thickly sliced bacon 4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 3 cloves garlic, minced and sauteed 1 tbsp chives, chopped 1 tsp olive oil salt & pepper 1/4 cup Duck fat (or oil of your choosing) Preparation: Preheat oven to 350º. Place bacon strips on a sheet pan and cook for 20 minutes, until crisp. Remove from oven, blot and set aside to cool. Heat olive oil in skillet and add minced garlic. Cook until it just begins to soften and becomes fragrant. Remove from pan unto paper towel. Set aside. Rinse potatoes and place in a pot of cold water. Bring to boil and boil for 30 minutes. (Always place root vegetables in cold water and bring to boil. This ensures even cooking of the vegetable as opposed to merely dropping them into a pot of boiling water, which will often result is a soft, mushy outside and a harder, uncooked inside.) Remove potatoes from water and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove skin from potatoes. (You will probably not need a peeler for this application, as the skin will probably peel right off by lifting the edge with a paring knife.) Using a box or similar grater, coarsely grate potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Crumble the Gorgonzola Cheese and add to the mixing bowl. Crumble cooled bacon strips and along with the garlic and chives, add to mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold ingredients together without overworking the potatoes. Gently shape mix into four patties very similar to the way you would shape a crab cake. (We are doing a patty typically thicker than the more commonly flat Rösti as we want a crisper outer layer that contains a creamy, rich inner potato.) While heating duck oil in frying pan, preheat oven to 375º. Gently place each patty in fry pan and cook until each side is a crispy, golden brown (approx 4-5 minutes per side) Transfer to sheet pan and cook in 375º oven for 12-15 minutes.

For this recipe, I'd chosen to use "duck fat" aka Liquid Gold, to fry the patties in order to amplify the richness of the dish. I made this choice become I served the Rösti potatoes beside a Roast Duck and had the drippings at my disposal. Before utilizing it to fry, I strained it thoroughly until I had a clear liquid to work with. However, feel free to use whatever oil or fat you have on hand.