Saucy Duck Breasts Or Whole Recipes

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a medium pot and cover with water. Add a few pinches of salt. Place on the stove and set to medium-high heat. Bring the potatoes to a low boil and cook until just tender when pierced with a fork, about 18 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a colander or on a sheet pan lined with a towel to drain.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath and set aside. With the water at rolling boil, add the haricots verts and cook until tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pot and immediately submerge in the ice bath to shock. Drain when ready to use, making sure they are very dry.
• Using a sharp paring knife, score the fat in the duck breasts a couple times in two directions to create a crosshatch pattern. Cut through the fat but not into the meat of the breast. Salt the breasts and let sit outside the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature.
• Add the olive oil to a large saute pan. Place the duck in the pan skin-side down. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the duck breasts low and slow to allow the fat to render and the skin to get nice and crispy. As the fat renders out of the duck, pour or spoon it out of the pan and set it aside. Cook the duck for 8 to 9 minutes on the skin side. Turn the duck over and cook the duck for 2 to 3 minutes on the flesh side. Remove the duck from the pan, cover with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Add the shallots to the pan and cook until just translucent, about 3 minutes, adding a bit of the reserved duck fat if pan is too dry. Then, add the white wine, chicken stock and mustard. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook until the sauce has reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and crushed red pepper.
• Meanwhile, add the remaining duck fat to a separate large saute pan (if the ducks were lean and there isn't enough fat to generously coat the pan, add a bit of olive oil) over medium-high heat. Add the thyme sprigs and potatoes, cut-side down and cook until they begin to brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. When potatoes are brown and crisp, remove from pan and set aside. Discard the thyme. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, making sure it doesn't brown. Add the drained haricots verts and saute with salt and crushed red pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Slice the duck breast thinly on the bias. Add a handful of frisee to plate or platter. Top with the potatoes and haricots verts, then the sliced duck breast and finally the pan sauce. Serve!

Steps:

• Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the duck breast, skin side first, then flip over, reduce heat and cook other side, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the duck breasts to a platter, reserving the juices in the pan. Work in batches, if necessary.
• To make the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then add brown sugar, rosemary and berries and cook for 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter to finish. Place the duck breast on each plate and drizzle the sauce around.

Steps:

• Preheat oven on broiler setting. Use a fork to score the duck breasts through the skin and fat but not all the way through to the meat.
• Heat a large heavy skillet on medium high. Fry the duck breasts skin side down, until the skin browns and fat runs out, about 10 minutes. Remove the breasts from the pan, and pour off most of the fat. Return breasts to pan, and fry skin side up for another 10 minutes. Remove breasts from pan, and allow to rest on a baking sheet. Mix the sea salt, cinnamon and Demerara sugar together and sprinkle over the skin of the duck breasts. Pour most of the fat out of the frying pan.
• Mix together the red wine, cassis, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour into the pan, and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Add raspberries, and simmer for another minute until heated through.
• Broil the duck breasts skin side up, until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 1 minute. Slice the duck breasts thinly, pour a little sauce over the top, and serve warm.