Today, I cut up two ducks in order to make duck prosciutto out of the breasts and confit out of the legs.  To get full value from the ducks, I also plan to make pate from the liver, I am making soup from the carcass, and I rendered the duck fat to have a high quality cooking fat.  (Potatoes fried in duck fat are quite popular.  The basic instructions on how to render the fat were provided on the dartagnan.com website.  (In The Essential Pepin, Jacques Pepin describes how to make many meals out of one duck, including the pate recipe I plan to use.)

Cut the skin and fat into one inch pieces, and put them in a heavy pot with ¾ cup of water.  Simmer over medium low heat until the water has evaporated and the skin and fat have begun to render a liquid fat.  Stir occasionally.  Continue to cook until the skins have fully rendered the fat and are crispy.  Pour the contents of the pan through a strainer to separate out the rendered duck fat from the skin cracklings.  The rendered fat can be stored indefinitely in the refrigerator.  The cracklings can be seasoned with salt while warm.  They are best eaten fresh.