This duck breast recipe is one of my family favorites. We always make it, or some variation of it, around the holidays. It started when one of my three sisters complained about always having turkey for Thanksgiving. That year, I decided to make duck, and we have been doing it ever since. You can make the sauce ahead and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Kale, Chanterelles, Radishes, and Port Wine Sauce

Category

Category name

Serves

4

For the Port Wine Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large carrot, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 shallots, minced
  • 1 (750ml) bottle red wine
  • 1 (750ml) port wine
  • 4 sprigs thyme

Method

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the carrots, celery and shallots and sauté, stirring, until they are coated with oil and becoming translucent but not colored. Add the red wine, port and thyme. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced by half, 15 to 25 minutes. Pour the sauce through a chinoise or fine-mesh sieve into a smaller saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract as much flavor as possible. Return the sauce to the heat and continue to reduce it until about 1 cup remains. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

For the Duck

Ingredients

  • 2 Peking duck breasts, about 10 ounces each
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 3 pounds chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned
  • 4 bunches lacinato, Tuscan or black kale, stems removed and cut into strips
  • 2 bunches red radishes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Parsley leaves, cut into chiffonade, to garnish
  • Sea salt, for garnish

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a crisscross pattern. Season the skin side with salt and the meat side with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan on high heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin-side down to begin to render the fat, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pan with the duck breasts to the bottom of the oven for another 2 minutes. Then, move it to a rack in the middle of the oven and roast until the breasts are medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the duck breasts from the pan and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil in a large sauté pan. Add the minced shallots and sweat until the shallots are translucent. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and sauté until the moisture from the mushrooms is released; continue cooking until most of the moisture evaporates, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  4. Heat another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the kale to the hot pan, season with salt and pepper and sauté until the kale is tender, about 4 minutes.
  5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium-sized sauté pan over high heat. Add the radish wedges, salt and pepper and sauté until the radishes are tender and have begun to brown slightly, about 3 minutes.
  6. To serve, spoon the kale in a long line on a serving platter. Pile the chanterelles and the radishes in mounds next to the kale. Slice the duck into thick slices and arrange the slices on top of the kale. Drizzle the sauce on the open space of the platter. Garnish the dish with chiffonade of parsley and sea salt. Serve immediately.