DUCK CONFIT WITH BEETROOT, POTATO AND BITTER GREENS SALAD

My local Market (Swansea Market) have decided to start stocking duck. I don’t use it much (which has to change by the way) so when I saw this I was quite ecstatic. With three large duck breasts bought I decided I wanted to give duck confit a go. For the first part of this recipe I used the ingredients  for curing from “Heston at Home by Heston Blumenthal”. After that I cooked and combined the remaining ingredients on my own as Heston’s recipe is very involved so I shortened it. This will go on the frequent list in our house, I hope it becomes a frequent one for you too.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DUCK

– Duck Legs (breasts attached)

– 4 Star Anise

– 3 Juniper Berries

– 1 Cinnamon Stick

– 3 Black Peppercorns

– 2 Bay Leaves

– Sprig of Thyme

– Zest of ½ an Lemon

– Zest of ½ an Orange

– 60g Salt

– 500g Duck or Goose Fat

– Bitter Leaf Lettuce

– 2 Whole Beetroot, Thickly Sliced

– 2 Potatoes, Thickly Sliced

– Sunflower Shoots (optional)

FOR THE SHERRY VINAIGRETTE

– 2 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar

– 1 Tbsp Good Quality Olive Oil

– Salt & Pepper

METHOD

 To make this you will need to prepare the duck in advance. Place all the star anise, juniper berries, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaves onto a tray lined with baking paper and place into a preheated oven at 180ºC for about 5 minutes or until aromatic. Next you will need a mini food processor or mortar and pestle to grind these ingredients down. Place the ground ingredients into a large bowl along with the thyme, lemon zest, orange zest and salt. Mix to combine. Place the duck in the bowl to coat well and then place in a tight container into the fridge to rest over night.

To start the following day, first preheat the oven to 150ºC. Remove ducks from container lightly was the salt off, pat dry and place into a very snug baking dish. Place duck fat either in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove and heat unit the fat has warmed through. Pour the fat into the dish until the duck is fully submerged then place into the oven for 1 to 1½ hours.

Once cooked you can either let it sit until it has come to room temperature and place in the fridge overnight or if you impatient like me carve the meat off the bone and slice into bit size pieces. If you decide the latter place the beetroot and potatoes into the oven until cooked through about 30 minutes. Lastly combine vinaigrette ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Place the greens, potatoes and beetroot in next and toss the salad to combine all ingredients. to plate place some salad in the center then the duck meat on top. Place the sunflower shoots on top to garnish and enjoy.

–

MANE Liquor recommend either The BrewDog Magic Stone Dog or the Cavalier Brown Ale

Adapted from “Heston at Home by Heston Blumenthal”