Two-Way Duck with Pecan-Orange Wild Rice and Sautéed Spinach

Like goose, duck gives off a lot of fat. In France, where the word cholesterol is rarely uttered, rendered duck and goose fat are prized cooking ingredients. To play along with the American phobia for animal fats, you could certainly substitute butter or vegetable oil for the rendered fat in these recipes, but try the rendered fat, thinking of it as a special treat.

• Prepare the ducks and stock the day before serving. Using a large, heavy knife, cut off the wings and reserve. Reserve the giblets (but not the livers, which you can save for another use or discard). Chop the necks and wings into 2-to 3-inch pieces. Set the wings, giblets, and necks aside for the stock. Pull out the clumps of fat inside the duck body cavity on either side of the tail, cover, and refrigerate.
• Using a sharp, thin knife, cut off the leg quarters (thigh and drumstick together) at the thigh joints. Trim off excess skin from the perimeters of the duck pieces and reserve the skin pieces.
• Make an incision down each side of the breastbone. With the knife tip pointing toward the rib bones, cut away the breast meat (with the skin still attached), pulling the meat away from the ribs as you cut. Cut off the breast section at the wing joint and the bottom of the rib cage. Pull the skin off the duck breasts and reserve. You will have 4 boneless breasts and 4 leg quarters. Season the duck with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To make the stock, using a heavy cleaver, chop the duck carcasses into manageable pieces to fit your stockpot, and use with the neck, wings, and giblets to make the duck stock according to the directions.
• To render the duck fat, cut the reserved skin into thin strips and coarsely chop the reserved fat from the body cavity. Render according to the instructions in Roast Goose with Port Wine Gravy.
• To make the sauce, place the duck stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the stock is reduced to about 1 quart, 1 to 1½ hours. Transfer to a medium saucepan and boil until dark brown and thick enough to coat a wooden spoon (about 1½ cups), about 30 minutes. (The sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.)
• Fit a large pot with a collapsible aluminum steamer rack and fill the pot with enough water to almost reach the rack. Add the duck leg quarters and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to medium-low. Steam the duck leg quarters for 45 minutes. Remove the duck from the pot and transfer to a roasting pan. (The duck quarters can be prepared up to this point 1½ hours before roasting; set aside at room temperature.)
• Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Roast the steamed duck, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the duck legs are roasting.
• About 15 minutes before serving, heat 2 tablespoons of the rendered duck fat in a very large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the duck breasts and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. (You can use a small, sharp knife to make an incision in the thickest part of the breast to check for doneness. Or press the duck with your finger—it should feel somewhat soft in the center. The firmer the meat feels, the more well-done it is.) Transfer the duck to a carving board and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let stand for about 3 minutes for the juices to settle.
• To serve, using a sharp carving knife, slice each breast into thin diagonal slices. Slip the knife under each breast and transfer to a dinner plate, fanning out the slices slightly. (If you wish, serve a whole breast, unsliced, on each plate.) Place a duck quarter on each plate. Divide the wild rice and spinach among the plates. Spoon some of the duck sauce around the duck, and serve immediately.