Slow-cooked Duck with Duck Fat Chips and Gravy, by Tom Kerridge

05 July 2010
Slow-cooked Duck with Duck Fat Chips and Gravy, by Tom Kerridge

This recipe for slow-cooked duck with duck fat chips and gravy, made Tom Kerridge, chef-proprietor of the Michelin-starred Hands and Flowers pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, one of the four winning finalists in the BBC's Great British Menu 2010. There are more winning recipes from the show in our article, http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/07/01/334144/meet-the-four-finalists-in-the-great-british-menu-2010.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Meet the four finalists in the Great British Menu 2010.

INGREDIENTS (Serves four)

• 1 large Aylesbury duck

For the duck legs and peas

• 1 whole star anise
• ½ stick cinnamon
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1tsp coriander seeds
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 1tbs rock salt
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 litre duck fat
• 4tbs clear honey
• 2 large banana shallots, peeled and finely diced
• Knob of butter
• 500g cooked peas
• 100ml brown chicken stock, or beef stock
• 2 Little Gem lettuces, finely sliced
• 20 fresh mint leaves, sliced into thin strips
• 1 punnet pea shoots, to serve

For the duck breasts

• 3tsp ground mace
• 1tbs vegetable oil
• 2tbs clear honey
• 50g unsalted butter

For the gravy

• 1tbs vegetable oil
• 4 carrots, peeled, chopped into 3cm pieces
• 4 celery stalks, chopped into 3cm pieces
• 1 onion, peeled, chopped into 3cm pieces
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half
• 150g clear honey
• 4 cloves
• 2 litres brown chicken stock
• 500g unsalted butter
• 1 lemon, juice only

For the duck fat chips

• 15 large potatoes, cut into wedges using an apple corer
• 5 litres rendered duck fat, for deep frying

METHOD

Prepare the duck by removing the legs and wings and set aside. Take out the wishbone and remove any excess fat and skin. Remove the backbone to leave the crown (keep the bones for the duck gravy).

For the duck legs and peas

Preheat the oven to 130°C. Tie the star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and fennel seeds up in a piece of muslin cloth. Place the reserved duck legs, rock salt, bay leaves and muslin bag of spices into a lidded pan and cover with the duck fat.

Bring the mixture to the boil, cover with a lid and roast in the oven for 3-3½ hours, or until the duck is tender. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the duck breasts

Score the skin on the duck crown and rub in the ground mace. Fry the duck crown in a pan, skin-side down, until the fat has rendered out and the skin is crisp and golden-brown. Remove the duck crown from the pan and set aside to cool.

Place the duck crown into a vacuum pack bag, seal with the vacuum pack machine and place into a water bath set at 62°C for 1½ hours. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Remove the duck breasts from the crown and fry, skin-side down for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. Add the honey and butter to the pan and turn the duck breasts over until covered in the honey mixture.

Remove the duck breasts from the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, continue to cook the honey mixture until it caramelises and pour over the duck breasts. Keep warm.

For the gravy

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the reserved bones and place into a flameproof roasting tin; add the reserved wings and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden-brown. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the carrots for 5-10 minutes, or until almost black. Add the celery, onion and garlic and fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove the bones from the tray and add to the saucepan.

Drain off any excess fat from the pan, add the honey and cloves and cook until the honey caramelises. Deglaze the pan with a little of the chicken stock. Add the remaining chicken stock to the pan and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth and skim off any excess fat.

Measure 1 litre of the gravy into a saucepan, add the butter and return the pan to the heat. Cook the gravy until emulsified and reduced slightly. Season, to taste, with lemon juice.

Meanwhile, remove the duck legs from the fat and place, skin-side down, into an ovenproof frying pan. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. Remove the duck legs from the pan and set aside; add the honey and continue to cook until the honey has caramelised. Pour the caramelised honey onto the duck legs and set aside to cool.

Fry the shallots in the butter for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the peas, chicken stock, lettuce and mint. Flake the meat from the duck legs and add to the pan. Divide the duck leg and pea mixture between four small bowls or pots and garnish with the pea shoots.

For the duck fat chips

Blanch the chips in a pan of salted boiling water, for 4-5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain. Half-fill a deep, heavy-based saucepan with the duck fat and heat to 140°C. Fry the chips for 8-10 minutes, or until the oil stops bubbling, which means that the moisture has been removed. Remove the chips from the oil and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

Heat the oil to 180°C and fry the chips for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove the chips from the oil, set aside to drain on kitchen paper and season to taste with salt.

To serve

Slice the duck breasts lengthways and serve with the chips, duck legs and peas, and gravy.

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