Duck with Our Sumptuous Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts, thoroughly patted dry
- 400ml chicken stock reduced to 150ml
- 120g chestnut mushrooms, cut in half if they are large
- 80g chorizo sausage, sliced 1/2cm
- 180g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Simply Roasted Chestnuts
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 30g dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 40g unsalted butter
- Salt & smoked paprika
Preparation
Pre-heat your oven to 200c/400f/Gas 6 / Middle Shelf. Boil your kettle.
Season the duck breasts with salt & smoked paprika. Get a large, oven proof frying pan. Put the duck breasts into the cold pan with their skin side facing down. Put the pan onto a medium heat & fry for 10 minutes until the skin is golden & the fat fills the pan. Put the pan in the oven & roast for 8 minutes, still skin side down, for duck that is perfectly pink. Take the pan out of the oven & turn off
While the duck roasts, boil the 400ml stock to reduce it down to 150ml.
Once the duck breasts are cooked, use a pair of tongs to transfer them, skin side up, onto a small cooling rack over an ovenproof plate. Put this in the turned off oven to rest the duck for 8 mins. Warm your plates into the oven. Leave the door half open so that the oven is warm rather than hot.
Put the pan with the duck fat onto a high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer. Fry for 2-3 minutes until they are browned.
Add the chorizo and chestnuts to the pan, toss for 1 minute, just enough to heat them through. Off the heat, add the vinegar & garlic to the pan. Turn the heat back on, keep your face away from the pan, or the fumes will hurt your eyes. The vinegar will bubble, reduce, become syrupy & almost disappear. Add the reduced chicken stock and cranberries to the pan. Bring to the boil. Stir in the butter and the chopped rosemary. Take the pan off the heat. Season to taste with salt & smoked paprika.
Slice the duck against the grain. Add any juices that escape to the sauce. Serve.