Marinated Wild Duck Rumaki

Wild duck has a "liver-y" flavor and look, which I do not like. However, my husband is a duck hunter so I had to figure out what to do with his catch. I came up with this recipe years ago and make it as an appetizer on Thanksgiving or Christmas. The marinade takes care of the gamey flavor, so even I enjoy eating these tasty little treats. My husband and 3 boys always gobble these down in one sitting. It's great finger food. You can adjust the marinade by tasting it before putting the duck in it. Make sure you inspect the duck for BBs! This recipe requires marination overnight.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 8 -10  wild duck breasts, skinned and rinsed
• 1  lb bacon

• Marinade

• 1⁄4 cup  orange juice
• 1  cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup dry sherry (optional) or 1⁄4 cup Bourbon (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup  peanut oil
• 2  tablespoons orange zest
• 1 -2  garlic clove, minced
• 1  tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1⁄8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• 1  teaspoon  chili paste (to taste)
•  salt
•  toothpick
•  citrus-based  dipping sauce

Directions

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Cut the duck breasts into pieces that are about 1/2" x 1/2" x 1-1/2". Place in marinade overnight in the fridge (ziploc works great).
3. Cut the bacon in half so that you get twice as many short pieces. Fry until half-way cooked. This is necessary if you want the bacon to be equally cooked as the duck, otherwise the fatty part will be mostly uncooked and too chewy.
4. After marinading overnight, drain the duck. Wrap each piece of duck with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick (make sure it goes completely through).
5. Place wrapped pieces on a foil-lined cookie sheet that has sides. You can put quite a few on a sheet and they will still cook well.
6. Bake at 325ºF for 30 minutes or until the duck and bacon are done.
7. Serve with a tangy, slightly spicy-hot lemon, orange or apricot dipping sauce, like LeAnn Chin's Lemon Chicken Sauce or Panda Express Orange Sauce. Be sure to serve with sauce!