Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Halve the duckling, setting aside the back, neck, and wing tips for sauce. In a large roasting pan, make a bed of onions, celery, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. With the tines of a fork, prick the duck skin every 1/2 inch. Rub the duck with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence and set it on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Roast, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Tightly cover the pan with foil, and return duck to oven for 3 1/2 hours. After 3 1/2 hours, turn off the heat, leaving the duck in the oven to cool for 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer the duck to a large cutting board. Remove and discard loose bones and chopped vegetables. Reserve 1 tsp of duck fat for finishing duck. Quarter the duck, and prior to serving, preheat the broiler and set rack about 10 inches from heat. Place duck quarters on roasting pan. Dab the duck skin with the tsp of duck fat, and run under the broiler to crisp the skin. Serve with sauce on side. 4 servings.
*Frozen duck and herbes de Provence can be found at Fresh Market
Slowly brown duck neck, back, and wing tips in their own fat in a large covered, nonstick skillet. Add onion and continue cooking until the onion slices are glazed and browned, about 10 minutes. Pour off any excess fat.
Add tomato paste to the skillet, and cook until lightly charred. Quickly deglaze pan with white wine. Add sugar, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour. Strain, degrease, and boil until reduced to one cup. Reserve, covered, in refrigerator. Just before serving, reheat the sauce, add the olives, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste.
From The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert