Ingredients
For the duck
1 small Barbary duck (or 1 duck leg and 1 duck breast)
duck fat, enough to completely cover the duck leg during cooking
a few black peppercorns
a few juniper berries
sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
coarse sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
knob of unsalted butter
drizzle of olive oil
½ tsp runny honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sprig of fresh rosemary
fried chestnut mushrooms, to garnish
For the stock
duck neck and trimmings from 1 duck, chopped
olive oil, for frying
1 onion, unpeeled, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, unpeeled, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
sprig fresh thyme
splash red wine vinegar
175ml/6fl oz red wine
125ml/4fl oz port
knob of butter coated in flour (optional)
For the mashed potato and potato galette
2 medium Desiree or Maris Piper potatoes
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
15g/½oz unsalted butter
25g/1oz Gruyere cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying
For the cabbage
1 Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
½ small carrot, finely chopped
knob of butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
Method
1. If buying a whole duck, ask your butcher to do the following: remove the wishbone from the duck, cut away one whole leg and thigh and one breast fillet. Remove the thigh bone from the leg and tidy up the edges of the breast fillet. Slash diagonally through the skin on the breast. Cover and set aside.
2. Roughly crush the peppercorns and juniper berries in a pestle and mortar, then place in a dish along with a few leaves of thyme, a crushed bay leaf and a handful of coarse sea salt.
3. Crush the garlic to a paste and rub all over the duck leg. Roll the leg in the dry marinade and press in well. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and refrigerate. (Ideally the leg should stay in the fridge to marinate for 12-24 hours.)
4. To make the stock for the sauce, fry the neck and duck trimmings in a little olive oil until deep brown.
5. Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrot, celery and leek. Continue cooking until the vegetables are browned all over. Add a sprig of thyme and a dash of red wine vinegar. Cook until the vinegar has completely evaporated.
6. Add the wine and port and reduce to about half. Add hot water to cover and leave to simmer at the back of the stove, skimming off impurities as you go.
7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
8. Wash the marinade off the duck leg, pat dry and place in a small ovenproof dish with enough duck fat to completely cover the leg. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, for the mashed potato, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add one whole potato and the unpeeled garlic and boil for about 20 minutes. When the potato skin splits it is cooked. Peel the potato, squeeze the garlic out of its skin and pass them together through a potato ricer or sieve. Add the butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and grated Gruyere cheese and beat well with a wooden spoon over a moderate heat until smooth and creamy.
10. For the galette, peel the second potato and grate finely into a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, squeeze out excess liquid and flatten slightly into a rough round. Fry in olive oil until crisp and golden brown on both sides.
11. For the duck breast, place the breast skin-side down in a cold, dry non-stick pan. Turn on the heat and cook without moving for 5-10 minutes. The fat will render out and provide its own cooking medium. When the skin is well browned, season the flesh side with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
12. Place a sprig of rosemary into the pan. Turn over the duck breast and place on top of the rosemary, flesh-side down. Transfer the pan to the hot oven for about 8 minutes or until cooked to your liking. During the last few minutes of the cooking time, spread a little clear honey over the breast skin. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving into thick diagonal slices for serving. The inside flesh should be pink (medium rare).
13. For the cabbage, blanch the shredded cabbage along with the finely chopped carrot in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander. Melt a little butter in a pan, add the blanched cabbage and carrot, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in a generous tablespoon of crème fraîche, and cook for a further 2 minutes before serving.
14. Preheat the grill to its highest setting.
15. Remove the duck leg from the oven and remove from the excess duck fat and flash under a hot grill to crisp up the skin before serving.
16. To finish the sauce, line a sieve with butter muslin, place another sieve over the top and pour the stock through into another saucepan. Press and rub the solids through the first sieve, discard the remains and twist the muslin tightly to extract as much liquid as possible. Gently reheat the sauce and if too thin whisk in a knob of butter that has been coated in flour. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
17. To serve, place a small mound of cabbage on a plate and top with the duck leg. Place the potato galette alongside and top with a little mashed potato. Pour some sauce over the potatoes and arrange the sliced duck breast on top. Garnish with the fried chestnut mushrooms.
