Remove the duck from the fridge. Wash it and pat dry.

Lay skin-side up on a cutting board. Score the skin and fat as described above.

Let sit for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Place the duck, skin-side down, on to a cold pan. Turn the heat to medium-low. The cooking will start slowly as it heats up. After about 10 minutes you should hear gentle bubbling from the fat. If the fat is jumping around or spitting or cascading around the pan, turn the heat down. It should just be a gentle bubble.

Pour out the fat as it accumulates in the pan. (Remember not to just dump hot fat down the sink.)

After about 10-15 minutes the fat will be mostly rendered away and the skin will be a crispy brown. You can drizzle a little bit of fat over the flesh side. I usually do just before I flip it.

Pour out a bit more fat and flip the duck over to the flesh side. Raise the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 more minutes for rare, 7-10 more minutes if you want medium-rare. A little longer if you want well-done. (Why you would want well-done duck is beyond me, but please enjoy chewing endlessly on your stringy meat. Personally I think there are better ways to increase jaw strength.)

Remove duck from the heat. You can serve it as a whole breast or sliced. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving or slicing.

Chop the shallot and garlic.

Once the duck is removed from the pan, add these aromatics to the last little bit of duck fat. There should be no more than 2 tbsp of fat in the pan. Dump out the rest.

Let the aromatics cook for 2-3 minutes, stir occasionally.

Add in the wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for 1 minute.

Add in the balsamic vinegar and butter. Stir well.

Let simmer over medium heat until it reduces by half (about 5 minutes.)

Pour over duck slices and serve! (You may strain out the garlic and shallots or not. Totally up to you. We removed them this time.)