Seared Duck Breast with Cherry Red Wine Sauce
- Savory
- French
- Stovetop
- Oven
Crisp-skinned duck breast sliced over a glossy cherry and red wine pan sauce, with golden roast potatoes alongside. A rich, not spicy dinner for two.
- Total
- 65 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 45 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Roasting · Rendering fat
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Cut the potatoes into 3 cm chunks, toss with the olive oil, half the salt and half the black pepper, and spread on a baking tray in a single layer.
~10 min
A single layer lets hot air circulate around each chunk, so the potatoes brown and crisp instead of steaming.
Roasting Spread the potatoes in one layer with space between them; crowding traps steam and leaves them pale and soft instead of golden.
-
Roast the potatoes until golden and tender when pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes, turning once halfway.
~35 min
Roasting Spread the potatoes in one layer with space between them; crowding traps steam and leaves them pale and soft instead of golden.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the potatoes roast, pat the duck breasts dry, score the skin in a crosshatch without cutting into the meat, and season both sides with the remaining salt and black pepper. Pit and halve the cherries.
~8 min
A dry surface browns rather than steams, and scoring the skin gives the fat an escape route so it renders and crisps.
Rendering fat Score the skin and start it in a cold pan over medium heat; the fat should melt out slowly and the skin turn deep golden without blackening.
-
While the potatoes finish, place the duck breasts skin side down in a cold large oven-safe skillet over medium heat and cook until the skin is deep golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off the rendered fat, turn the breasts, and transfer the skillet to the oven until the center reads 54°C, 6 to 8 minutes.
~10 min
Starting cold renders the fat gradually so the skin crisps evenly instead of scorching before the meat cooks through.
Start the duck in a cold pan and let the skin render slowly; this draws out the fat gradually so the skin crisps instead of scorching.
Rendering fat Score the skin and start it in a cold pan over medium heat; the fat should melt out slowly and the skin turn deep golden without blackening.
-
Move the duck to a board and rest it skin side up for 5 minutes. While it rests, pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the skillet, add the cherries and cook over medium heat until they soften, about 3 minutes.
~5 min
Resting lets the juices redistribute so they stay in the meat rather than running out onto the board when sliced.
-
Add the red wine and honey to the skillet and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Slice the duck and serve with the potatoes and sauce spooned over.
~5 min
Simmering reduces the wine and dissolves the browned bits, concentrating flavor and thickening the sauce so it clings.
If the cherries are very tart, taste the finished sauce and stir in a little more honey off the heat to round it out.
