Pan roasted duck, sloe spiced plums, fondant potatoes & shallots

- Home Cooking -

Ingredients

  • 1 duck breast
  • 1 beetroot
  • 3 new potatoes
  • 2 plums
  • 1 shallot
  • 3 spears of asparagus (optional)
  • 2 leaves of rainbow chard (also optional)
  • 2 star anise, 6 black peppercorns
  • 75ml sloe gin
  • 2 cloves of garlic, 3 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 chicken stock cube/pot
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves
  • small glass of red wine
  • 1 stick of cinnamon

Method

Remove duck from the fridge 1 hour beforehand.

First, poach the plums. To do this add the wine, sloe, cloves and peppercorns with a touch of salt to a pan. Add the same volume in water. Bring to a boil and simmer, adding the sliced plums and whole beetroot. Poach for 4-5 mins, or until the plums are plump but still hold their shape. Set them aside and return the liquid to the boil with the beetroot intact and reduce by half. Peel and slice the beetroot and place back in the liquid to keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 160oC. Lightly score the duck’s skin, but don’t go through to the meat itself. Sprinkle with salt and lay skin side down in a cold pan. Bring the pan up to medium heat- this will allow the fat to render and crisp the skin up. Drain the fat into a separate pan and finish the duck into the oven, turning it down to 160oc for about 8 mins. Take out and rest uncovered.

Cut the potatoes lengthways and add to the pan of duck fat, on a high heat flat side down and reduce the heat to medium-low. Dissolve chicken stock on a pint of hot water. Once nicely browned, turn the potatoes over and add the stock halfway up, add the butter, garlic and herbs and place in the oven to finish cooking, about 15-20 mins.

During this time, warm your plate and put on one final but small, pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Add the asparagus and as it becomes vibrant, add the chard for 30 seconds. Slice the duck.

Plating

Arranging the plate similarly to the way pictured, allows the elements to share heat, as well as looking more appealing. Place the sloe sauce on first, standing the sliced breast up, interlocked with the beetroot and shallots, tucking the potatoes in available gaps. The chard and lace it over the dish, along with the asparagus. Add a pinch of salt to the duck and serve.