Sichuanese Roast Duck

I bought a whole duck a few weeks ago on a whim. I love duck. Why had I never cooked it? I decided on a recipe from my Chinese cookbook and wasn't disappointed. I think I need to try roasting more poultry in my future!

One year ago: Orzo with Everything
Two years ago: Tortellini with Walnut and Mascarpone Sauce

Sichuanese Roast Duck (from Land of Plenty)

Ingredients
1 duck (4 - 5 lbs), with giblets
sesame oil
Stuffing
2" piece of ginger, unpeeled
2 scallions, white and green parts
1 tbsp fermented black beans
3 tbsp Tianjuin preserved vegetable (I omitted)
3 tbsp Sichuanese chili bean paste
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
Glaze
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp black Chinese vinegar
2 tbsp water
Aromatic Gravy
1 1/2" piece fresh ginger, unpeeled
1 scallion, white and green parts
1/2 - 3/4 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 cao guo (I omitted)
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves, powdery heads pinched off and discarded
1 slice of dried ginger (I omitted)

1. Remove giblets from duck and set aside.
2. Make stuffing: crush ginger and scallions. Mash black beans. Add all of the other ingredients for stuffing. Push into duck's inner cavity, fold over flap of skin at neck and fix it with skewers. Close other end with another skewer. Let duck marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
3. Make gravy: crush ginger and scallion. Place giblets in a saucepan with a quart of water. Bring to a boil. Add ginger, scallion, soy sauce, and spices. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Set aside.
4. When duck has marinated, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the duck in a sieve and pour over all the boiling water. Repeat. Dry duck's skin with paper towels.
5. Heat glaze ingredients in a pan until honey is liquefied. Use a pastry brush to paint the duck. Hang duck in a cool place to air dry (I put on the roasting rack because I lacked a hook). When the first coat of glaze has dried, you can add more layers. Allow duck to dry for at least 6 hours, until kin feels papery.
6. Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a roasting pan with 1/2" of water. Place duck breast side down on a roasting rack and set in pan. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes, then flip and roast for another 30 minutes. Turn up heat to 400 and roast for another 15 minutes or until skin is brown and crisp. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes.
7. Add pan juices to gravy. Unpin duck and add remains of stuffing and juices to the gravy pan. Reheat the gravy, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve duck with gravy.