The holiday was full of large family gatherings and big meals. During the holiday season I wanted to cook a special dinner for just the three of us, (me/hub/kiddo.) Both my husband and son had asked about cooking duck, I've never done it, but I was game.
Pan-seared Duck w/ Potato Galette & Sautéed Chard Ingredients:
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- 4 Duck Breasts, trimmed & scored with an inch of fat remaining
- 4 medium waxy potatoes, sliced to about 1/8 of an inch thick, I used a mandolin
- 1/2 cup Duck fat (use room temp butter & olive oil as a substitute)
- Large bunch of Chard, washed, stems removed & chopped (reserve stems & chop 'em too)
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
- Salt & Pepper
Method:
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- after you've prepped the veg & patted the duck dry with a paper towel, preheat the oven to 425
- in a large bowl, toss the potatoes gently in the duck fat with salt, pepper and half of your thyme
- arrange the potatoes onto a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet, you will slightly overlap the potatoes
-roast for 50-60 mins on the center rack in the oven, check the poattoes at the 30 min mark and rotate the pan
- While you're up for that 30 minute check, find the largest oven-safe sauté pan you own and fire up your burner to medium-high
- Salt & pepper the duck and add it to the dry, hot pan SKIN SIDE DOWN
- After 10-15 mins the fat should be rendered and the skin golden brown (if not, keep cooking for a few more mins)
- If there's an excessive amount of fat, carefully ladle some out of the pan and reserve it in a heat proof ramekin or metal bowl
- Flip the duck and transfer into the oven to finish cooking, another 10-15 minutes depending on how done you prefer. Mine will come out medium
- The duck & potatoes may be done at the same time, which is fine they both need to rest and the chard will make quick work of that very messy duck pan!
- Rest the duck on a cutting board & put the sauté pan over medium heat (remember it's still scorching from being in the oven!)and toss in your shallot, chard stems, and garlic. Season with salt & pepper and gently sauté until the veg is transparent, 5-10 mins, then add your chopped chard leaves and a little more salt. If you need more fat in the pan, add some of that reserved duck fat or some olive oil
- Cook the chard for 5 mins max then plate everything up and dig in!
This crowd pleaser was delightful and much easier to cook than I imagined. It also provided great left overs that I plan on using in an upcoming DDC meal!