Duck au Vin with Pomme Frittes
INGREDIENTS
- Serves four to six
- DUCK
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions and 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 medium carrots and 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 150 g champignons, finely chopped
- 12 fresh sage leaves and large spring of rosemary, finely chopped
- 3 bay leaves and 1 star anise
- 10 g dried porcini mushrooms, softened in 1/2 cup water
- 1 bottle red wine
- 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra
- 6 duck Maryland's
- POMME FRITTES
- 6 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Reserved duck fat
- 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, squashed
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- Small sprig rosemary
- Pinch Chinese five spice
METHOD
In an oven proof pan, add the olive oil and sauté the onions until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute before adding the carrot, celery and mushrooms. Season well with salt and pepper and sauté the vegetables tor 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, chop the porcini and add these to the pan including the porcini water. Add the red wine and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes to soften the acid in the wine.
Heat a heavy based pan to medium and add the extra olive oil. Place the duck, skin side down in the pan and fry tor 3 minutes or until golden. Turn and fry on the underside tor 1 minute.
Season the duck with salt and pepper and place, skin side up, in the oven proof pan on top at the vegetables, making sure that the duck flesh, but not the skin, is submerged. Add a little water or chicken stock if necessary. Reserve any duck fat for cooking the frittes. Cover with baking paper then foil and cook on low heat — 120 degrees C for 3 hours.
For the frittes; simmer the potatoes in water until soft then slice into fat chips. Heat the oil and the duck fat in an ovenproof pan and add the herbs, cooking tor 1 minute until aromatic. Add the potatoes stirring gently, season with the herbs and spice, salt and pepper and bake in the oven or on top at the stove for 10 minutes or until golden.
Katrina's Note: Prior to serving the duck, remove the foil and baking paper from the pan, and turn the oven up to 180 degrees and cook for 10 minutes, this will crisp the duck skin.
