You should slice cross-hatched lines as closely together as possible to a depth of half your fat. Don’t cut all the way down to the meat. You will be left with a thick layer of browned crust, a true gustatory delight for those with healthy gall bladder function.

Although the pan will sputter and spit, because the meat is riding on a fatty cushion it won’t overcook. If you want to save some duck fat for seriously wonderful fried potatoes, spoon it out as it is rendered.

When you say score the fat of the duck breast, do you just score a single line or do you sort of butterfly it open a bit for more surface area contact? For some reason I’m having trouble picturing what you mean here. Or maybe as it gets hot and renders, the scoring allows for it to coat the pan?

I think I need more coffee as my mental faculties seem somewhat dimmed at the moment.