We are starting to really love cooking duck over here! It is definitely a very rich meat as well, so the combination of mashed potatoes and then a nice light watercress salad helped to at least “create” and illusion of well balanced. The watercress salad is a nice addition with minimal dressing, to really help out any meal that has a heavy component to it, we will be using it for many meals to come!
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Serves: 2 people
Ingredients you need to cook this shit:
- 12 oz. Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 12 oz. Duck Breast
- 1/4 oz. Thyme
- 4 oz. Heirloom Grape Tomatoes
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Shallot
- 1/3 cup Milk
- 1 Chicken Demi-Glace
- 1 oz. Cranberry Jam
- 2 oz. Watercress
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 2 TBSP Butter
Directions you need to cook this shit:
- Wash and dry all produce. Peel potatoes, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Mince garlic. Strip 1 tsp thyme leaves from stems and chop; discard stems. Halve tomatoes and lemon. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Make shallow slits in duck skin in a crosshatch pattern. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the duck to a large pan skin-side down and place over medium heat. Cook until fat is rendered and skin is crisp, 10-15 minutes. Flip and cook to desired doneness, 2-5 minutes more.
- While duck cooks, place potatoes in a medium pot with a large pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until easily pierced by a knife, 10-12 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
- Add garlic, butter and 1/3 cup of milk to pot with potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Add more milk if you want a more creamy consistency).
- Once duck is finished cooking, remove from pan and set aside to rest. Pour off all but 1 TBSP duck fat from pan, then return pan to medium heat. Add minced shallot and thyme leaves. Cook until shallot is softened, 3 minutes. Add demi-glace, cranberry jam and 1/4 cup water, stirring to break up the jam. Let simmer until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Stir in a squeeze of lemon. Season with pepper and more lemon (to taste).
- Toss watercress and tomatoes with a squeeze of lemon and a large drizzle of olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice duck crosswise. Divide potatoes and duck between plates, then drizzle with sauce. Serve with salad on the side.
Calories: 710
