Crispy duck breast with vegetables braised in creamy mustard sauce

I rarely cook dishes with rich sauces but sometimes it is great to enjoy the creamy flavour especially with French Mustard and caraway. Cabbage is the main vegetable but feel free to add a variety of greens to the dish.   Enjoy!

Crispy Duck with creamy mustard vegetables by Feed Your Inner Cook

Serves                      4     -    1 small duck breast per person

Preparation            10 minutes

Cooking                 30 minutes including oven baking time

Ingredients

4 small duck breasts -    pat the skin dry.  Score the fatty skin in a criss cross pattern,  avoiding cutting into the flesh.

2 potatoes – very very finely sliced and par-cooked for a few minutes, then dried.

pinch of Salt

1 small onion – finely sliced

2 cloves garlic – crushed

Handful mushrooms – sliced

¼ small cabbage   - very finely shredded

Handful baby spinach leaves

1 bunch asparagus  -  remove the tip with about 2 inches stem then cut remaining thicker stem into 1 – 2 cm pieces  -  the tips will be added close to the end.  The stems take longer to cook

Baby green beans – cut into 1 – 2 cm pieces

Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil  (optional)

2 Pinches caraway seeds

Pinch celery seeds

2 teaspoons French wholegrain mustard

Splash brandy (optional)

Tin Cannellini beans – rinsed and drained

Pepper – add generously to taste

Cream  (I sometimes use a longlife reduced fat cream)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 - 200˚C.  Have a tray with baking paper ready for duck.

On a separate prepared tray place the dried potato slices ready to be brushed with the rendered duck fats.

Heat a wide deep non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Do NOT add oil.

Season the scored dried duck skin with a little salt.

Place the duck breasts skin side down in the heated pan.

Leave the duck to cook without moving.  Cook the skin side for 3 minutes until golden

Turn over and cook flesh side for 1 minute

Remove from pan and place onto the tray and finish cooking in oven approx. 8 minutes. 

Check at 6 minutes.   When cooked, remove from oven tray and allow to rest on a warm plate, uncovered.

While the duck is in the oven:

Paint the prepared potato slices with a little of the rendered duck fat then immediately bake in the oven.

Keep and re-warm the fat in the same pan

Saute the onions until softening then add the garlic and mushrooms continuing to cook through.

Stir in the finely shredded cabbage and wilt over the heat

Add the baby spinach leaves, asparagus stems and green bean pieces

If it becomes too dry add a splash of Olive oil and continue cooking until cabbage tender

Stir in the mustard, caraway seeds, celery seeds and splash of brandy.

Add the cannellini beans and heat through

Taste and grind in a generous amount of pepper.  Possibly a touch of salt too.

Pour in the cream – enough to make a silky sauce but not sloppy.

Plate the warmed duck breast, potato slices and creamy vegetables.

                                                Enjoy!   Colleen