Roast Duck with Sweet Pommes Anna, Roast Fennel & Wild Mushroom Salad, and Apple & Champagne Duck Sauce
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the duck
Remove the wings and break the duck down into 2 breasts, and 2 legs reserving the carcass and wings for stock, keep the skin on the breast and remove the tenderloin. If you’re new to breaking down proteins, you can ask your butcher to prepare it for you! You can also see Chef Erik break down a duck on camera via our Just Add Champagne episode.
Duck Stock (can be made in advance)
- 1 duck carcass
- 2 duck wings and neck
- 2 medium onions large dice
- 2 large carrots washed skin on large dice
- 4 ribs of celery large dice
- 1 bottle of white wine
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 T black peppercorns
- 1 T coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 2 apples
- 4 c veal stock
- 1 c tomato paste
- ½ c flour
- Fresh thyme sage and rosemary
Method:
Roast the bones at 400 degrees on a large sheet tray for 30 minutes then cover the bones with tomato paste and add the vegetables and continue to roast until deeply caramelized (about 25 minutes). Place in a pot and add the rest of the ingredients, cover with cold water and simmer for 3 hours. Discard the carcass and vegetables and reserve the liquid, pouring it through cheesecloth to eliminate any solids. You can save any leftover stock by freezing.
Confit Legs
- Poaching Fat
- 1 quart of duck fat or canola oil
- 1 sliced lemon Zested (save for the cure)
- 2 peeled and quartered shallots
- 1tsp chili flakes
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sage leaves
Salt cure
- 2/3 c kosher salt
- ½ c sugar
- Zest of above lemon
- 1 shallot
- 1 grated apple
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1ts coriander seeds
- 1/4 c packed cilantro
- ¼ c packed parsley
Method for curing:
Place all ingredients except the apple in a food processor and blend, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the apple and coat the duck legs and cure for 12 hours or overnight. Rinse the duck legs in cold water and pat dry. Place in the room temperature fat and poach at 300 degrees for at least 2 hours or fork tender. After the duck meat has cooled slightly pull the meat from the bones then shred, place on cling wrap then roll up pinching the edges and forming the duck meat into a 1 in diameter log and chill.
Panko Mix
- 1c panko
- 1 tsp chopped parsley, and chopped cilantro each
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
Before serving, dredge through seasoned flour, then egg wash, and finally in the herbed panko to create a ‘crust’. Using a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, fry in oil at 350 for 4 minutes or golden brown
Sweet Pommes Anna with Roasted Garlic Brown Butter
- ½ lb butter (2 sticks)
- 2 Tbl thyme leaves
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 c. canola oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Sweet potatoes (peeled)
- 2 Idaho potatoes (peeled)
Methods:
Place garlic and oil in a pot and cook until golden brown at about 325 degrees, strain and reserve oil and set aside, in the same pot brown the butter with the garlic and add remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper.
Using a mandolin slicer, slice the potatoes about 2mm thick and layer in an 8 x 4 greased baking pan, alternating potato every second layer. Top with an identical pan and weigh it down with about 10 pounds of oven safe material (Chef Erik uses cast iron. You can also weight it as it cools) then bake at 375 degrees covered for 1-hour 15minutes then remove foil and bake for 10 to 20 minutes uncovered. Let cool and place in the refrigerator, preferably with the weight, until ready for use.
Roast Fennel and Mushroom Salad
- 2 bulbs fennel (1.5 cut in ½ inch ribbons, roasted and set aside, the rest shaved thin and mixed in the salad)
- Watercress or desired greens
- ½ red onion
- ¼ c. toasted pecans
- 1 apple, shaved
- Radish (optional)
- Pomegranate seeds (optional)
Method: mix ingredients and plate as you wish
For the vinaigrette
- ¼ c. cider vinegar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 2 Tbl apple cider
- 2 Tbl honey
- 1 shallot, minced and sweated
- 1 Tbl dijon mustard (whole grain is preferred)
- 1½ c. olive oil
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and set aside in a container with a lid, like a mason jar (or squeeze bottle if available) and shake well before using.
You can also emulsify using a blender if you choose, place all ingredients in a blender leaving the shallot, oil and cilantro aside. Begin to blitz slowly stream in the oil until dressing starts to thicken, be careful not to get the dressing too hot as it will separate. Stir in remaining ingredients and chill.
Sauté Mushrooms (Erik likes Maitake) in the leftover butter from the Pommes Anna then cool. Mix ingredients in small bowl with the mushrooms and toss with the dressing right before serving.
Duck Stock Reduction
Method:
Take the duck stock and reduce with an apple or two and a cup of champagne into a demi-glace (you’ll want to reduce by roughly half).
Roasting Your Duck Breast
Pat your duck breasts dry with a paper towel then using a knife, cross hatch the skin and place in the refrigerator overnight skin side up (the longer you wait the crispier the skin). Heat a pan (cast iron if you have one) to medium high heat. Add a little vegetable oil and lay in your duck breast. Reduce heat to low and render the duck fat until crispy, about 12 minutes, then flip the breast and add thyme and garlic and baste the skin simultaneously cooking the duck to about 130 degrees, medium rare or your preference. Rest your duck for about 7 minutes and in the meantime plate your dish, slice and serve.
If you have the equipment to do so, garnish the dish with micro fennel, basil & coriander or fennel frond, and compressed apple!! Please Enjoy!!
Special thanks goes out to our friend Chef Erik Givens (@chef_erik_givens) for developing this recipe specifically for our Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé!