Duck with Orange Juice and Potato Gratin

For the duck: rinse duck, pat dry, season with salt and pepper inside and out. Stuff 2 sprigs of thyme into duck and place it into a large roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven at 200°C (approximately 400°F) for about 1.5 hours. Gradually add broth to  the pan and baste duck with cooking juices often.  

Grate zest of 2 oranges, peel and fillet 3 oranges (removing as much pith as possible). Collect all resulting juice and squeeze juice from remaining oranges. 

For the gratin: peel garlic. Rub casserole dish with garlic, butter it. Rinse and peel potatoes, slice very thinly. Layer potato slices in a dish and season with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs, milk and double cream and pour over potatoes so that potatoes are just covered. Sprinkle with grated cheese and place into the oven with a duck. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

In the last 30 minutes of roasting, brush duck with honey. As soon as duck is done, remove from the pan and place on a wire rack (place a dripping pan underneath). Turn off oven and let duck rest in the oven briefly. Skim fat from the sauce. Season to taste and simmer down briefly. Add orange juice, red pepper, 2 thyme springs and orange liqueur and season with salt to taste, simmer for a few minutes. Add orange fillets and zest and heat through. 

Rinse snow peas and blanch in boiling salted water for about 1-2 minutes. Drain well. 

Divide duck into serving portions and arrange on plates, drizzle with orange sauce. Arrange snow peas next to meat and garnish with remaining thyme.