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1
Score the fat cap of the duck in a diamond pattern, spacing cuts approximately 2 cm apart. The knife must not penetrate the flesh — feel for the resistance of the meat and stop before reaching it. Set the duck breast-side up on a rack placed over a roasting tray.
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2
Place the duck in an oven set to 160°C. Roast for 45–60 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the fat must render completely before the heat is raised. Press the breast with a fingertip — the skin should yield without resistance, and the tray below should hold a substantial pool of clear, liquid fat. Flabby, opaque skin at this stage means the fat has not fully rendered; return the duck to the oven and test again at 10-minute intervals.
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3
Raise the oven temperature to 200°C. Roast for a further 15–20 minutes. The skin is done when it has turned a deep, uniform mahogany and sounds hollow and brittle when tapped lightly.
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4
Remove the duck from the oven and rest it on the rack for a minimum of 20 minutes before carving. The fat layer retains heat and will continue cooking the flesh if the bird is carved immediately. The juices should run faintly pink when the thigh is pierced.
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5
While the duck rests, make the cherry sauce. Combine the reduced duck stock, sour cherries, red wine vinegar, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the cherries are tender and the sauce coats a spoon. Taste: the acid and sweet should be in balance against the savour of the stock, neither element dominant.