Seared Duck Breast With Glazed Sweet Potatoes
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Recipe adapted from Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Seared Duck Breast with Glazed Sweet Potatoes
At Andrea Reusing's Lantern in North Carolina, the inspiration is far-flung (Chinese, Thai, Korean), while the raw materials are sourced closer to home (North Carolina crabs and porgy; meat from farms 15 to 20 miles away). For us, she's made duck that's sweet, and earthy, hard to pin down and easy to like--much like Reusing herself.
Prep Time
45
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
servings
4
servings
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Ingredients
- Duck
- 1 cup sake kasu (sake lees) or white miso
- ¾ cup sake
- 2 Moulard duck breasts (about 14 ounces each), skin scored in a crosshatch pattern
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Pickled Shallots
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Pickled Apples
- 1 crisp-sweet apple (such as Macoun), cut into a large dice
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
- Sweet Potatoes
- 1½ tablespoons duck fat or clarified butter
- 2 to 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and cut into thick 1-inch rounds
- ½ cup chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
- Watercress
- 2 cups watercress
- 2 tablespoons corn oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- Kosher salt, to taste
Directions
- Make the duck: In a small bowl, whisk together the sake kasu and sake. Place the duck in a shallow dish and coat with the sake mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 3 days. Using a butter knife, scrape all marinade from the duck and then pat dry with paper towels. Season the duck with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add the duck, skin side down, and cook, without turning, until the skin is crispy, about 20 minutes. Flip the breasts and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Set the duck aside to rest.
- Make the pickled shallots: In a medium bowl, combine the shallots, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate.
- Make the pickled apples: In a medium bowl, combine the diced apple, apple cider vinegar, sugar and poppy seeds. Set aside to marinate.
- Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the duck fat in a shallow 2-inch-deep braising pan. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, turning once, until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add the stock and cider. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and bake until the potatoes are firm-tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it over medium-high heat. Stir in the honey. Cook, turning the potatoes occasionally, until glazed, about 6 minutes. Set aside. Keep the oven warm.
- Make the watercress: In a small bowl, toss the watercress, corn oil, lime juice and kosher salt.
- To serve, heat the duck in the oven until medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. Cut the duck into slices and arrange in the center of the platter. Arrange the sweet potatoes, pickled shallots, pickled apples and watercress around the duck. Drizzle the duck with the pan juices. Serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 659 |
| Total Fat | 21.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 88.2 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 73.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10.2 g |
| Total Sugars | 30.2 g |
| Sodium | 2,750.1 mg |
| Protein | 33.8 g |
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
