Lyndey Milan's Duck Breast With Port and Orange Sauce Recipe

METHOD

1. For celeriac purée, place celeriac, potato and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, return to saucepan and steam over low heat to evaporate as much moisture as possible. Add butter and cream and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. For petit pois á la française, melt butter in a medium frying pan, add eschallots and cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Add lettuce and cook for a minute or two until wilted. Add peas and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until the peas are tender and the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Cut deep diagonal slashes in the duck skin. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a cold pan, skin side down, over medium heat, for about 6–8 minutes or until skin is well browned and fat rendered. Drain fat off and reserve for another use. Turn duck breasts and cook, flesh side down for 2 minutes for medium-rare or longer if you prefer. Transfer to a warmed plate (reserving pan and any juices) and cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you make the sauce.
4. For sauce: deglaze the duck pan with port, chicken stock and redcurrant jelly. Whisk to combine and boil vigorously to reduce and thicken. Add any juices from duck, strained orange juice and salt and pepper to taste. Balance sweetness by adding lemon juice.
5. To serve, carve each duck breast on the diagonal into six slices. Place a spoonful of celeriac purée on each plate, top with duck breast slices and pour over sauce. Serve petit pois á la française on the side.

Lyndey’s note: Starting with a cold pan to cook the duck allows more fat to be rendered, resulting in a much crisper skin.