Braised duckling in Sweet Potato Shortcake

For the duck: rub duckling with seasoned salt. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. remove duckling; pat dry.

Heat 1 tbsp.of oil over medium-high heat. sear duckling, skin side down until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. turn and brown the other side 5 minutes; pour off fat. reserve.

Heat 1 tbsp. of oil, saute half of the onion, baby carrots, celery root and total amount of garlic until softened.

Add sauteed vegetables, bay leaves and a generous sprig of thyme to duckling. Deglaze with red wine, reduce slightly, add duck stock. Cook covered in 375°F oven turning occasionally until tender, approximately 1¹⁄2 hours.

While duck cooks, blanch parsnips and remaining celery root in salted boiling water until crisp-tender; refresh in cold water.

Remove duckling. strain braising liquid; discard vegetables. Degrease liquid and combine with dried cherries, blanched parsnips and celery root; warm through. Discard duckling skin. remove meat from bones; add to vegetable-cherry mixture. simmer gently and thicken slightly with cornstarch slurry, if necessary. season with salt and pepper.

For shortcake: Mix mashed sweet potato with sugar and shortening. sift together the dry ingredients. Cut into potato mixture. turn onto a floured surface; knead gently until the mixture holds together. roll dough out to a little more than a ¹⁄2 inch thick. Cut into 6 – 4-inch rounds. Bake in 425°F oven for 15 minutes. transfer biscuits to a rack and return to the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

For roasted vegetables: toss remaining carrots and onions with a little olive oil. season with salt and pepper. roast until softened. remove and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

To serve: Cut shortcake in half. spoon duckling mixture between the shortcake halves and drizzle with sauce. Arrange the roasted vegetable batons around half of the shortcake. sprinkle with fresh chives.