Duck Breast With Garlic, Duck Recipe

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Duck Breast With Garlic, Duck Recipe - Duck Breast Boulangere

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 Hour

Based on the French Duck Breast Boulangere this recipe uses ingredients easily obtainable from local sources. If you can't get hold of fresh juniper berries try dried, although the dish won't be quite as fragrant. I've tried the basic formulae with chicken breasts as well as pork and lamb and although the dish is versatile the duck provides an excellent, full and rich flavour.

Be particularly careful when pan frying the duck breasts, the breasts will generate a lot of hot fat.

Ingredients: Serves 4
4 medium sized duck breasts (with skin)
1kg of potatoes peeled and sliced
large knobs of butter
2 large garlic bulbs
tablespoon of juniper berries
teaspoon of peppercorn
4 bay leaves
1/2 litre of duck, or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Melt half the butter in a large casserole dish under a medium heat on the stove top, add half the sliced potatoes.

2. Add the remaining butter, peppercorns, berries, bay leaves, salt and pepper on top of the potatoes, layer the remaining sliced potatoes above, then add the stock.

3. Break the garlic into individual cloves or cut the bulbs across the middle (individual cloves will give the dish a stronger garlic flavour, cutting the bulbs will provide a more attractive display) and place around the top of the dish. Bring to the boil then leave to simmer for about 10 minutes before placing on the middle shelf (uncovered) at about 200c for 45 minutes.

4. You need to pan fry the duck breasts and add to the dish about 20 minutes before the potatoes are ready. Score the skin side of the duck breasts and add a little salt into the scores. Pan fry skin side first for four minutes on a medium high heat then turn and fry for a further minute and a half.

5. Add the duck breasts (with the fat from the pan) to the dish and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Serve with baby cauliflower and roast sweet potatoes.