Once you’ve tried my way of cooking duck breasts they’ll become a regular part of your repertoire. Delia Smith loved it so much at one of our food and wine workshops that she used my technique for one of her own recipes. The crisp skin is thin and the flesh is lean and succulent. You also get the golden fat to fry the potatoes and chestnuts in.

Ingredients at http://www.merchant-gourmet.com/ 

Serves 4

Serve with: Nothing is needed but wilted spinach or a spinach salad would be nice

Prep Ahead: The potatoes can be simmered and drained at least a day ahead. They will actually fry better when the have dried out a bit.

Cooking 30-35 mins

Active Time 25 mins

Ingredients:

4 duck breasts, well dried

400g (about 12) Charlotte, Maris Peer or other small firm potatoes, washed and halved lengthways

100g (1 small) chorizo sausage, sliced 1/2cm

200g Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, separated and cut in half, link to how to video

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

200ml chicken stock, reduced to 100ml

4 stalks of rosemary, spikes only, chopped

40g unsalted butter

Salt & smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200c/400f/Gas 6 / Middle Shelf. Boil your kettle.

2. Start with the potatoes. Put a colander in your sink. Fill a medium saucepan with boiling water from your kettle. Add salt. Bring back to the boil. Add the potatoes. Bring back to the boil. Turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until tender, add the bag of chestnuts with a couple of minutes to go. Drain the potatoes in your colander. Open the pack of chestnuts and separate.

3. While the potatoes simmer, season the duck breasts with salt and 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 and fry for 10 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 8 minutes, still skin side down for duck that is perfectly pink. Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the oven off.

4. 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 oven (now switched of) to rest the duck for 8 minutes. Put 4 plates into the oven to warm. Leave the oven door slightly open so that it is warm rather than hot.

5. Put the pan onto a high heat. Add the potatoes, cut side down, in a single layer. Fry the potatoes without turning them, for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat, until they get a nice thick golden crust.

6. Add the chorizo and chestnuts to the pan. Toss for 1 minute, just enough to heat the chestnuts and chorizo through. Put this mixture onto your warmed plates.

7. Add the red wine vinegar and 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 and almost disappear. Add the reduced chicken stock to the pan. Bring to the boil. Stir in the butter and the chopped rosemary. Turn off the heat Season with salt and smoked paprika.

8. Slice the duck against the grain. Add any juices that escape to the sauce. Serve with the sauce and the chestnut mixture.

KIDS CORNER (September 2014, Jake 8, James 6)

Both loved this the day before James began year two and the day before Jake began year 4. Jake is a hugely keen meat eater, has always had his meat rare to medium, and now eats as much meat as Jess. James is getting there after not being at all interested in meat until last year. Both have difficulty with the whole chestnuts, it is entirely a textural things so we cut theirs to eat with the other ingredinets in which case they are fine. Chestnuts are a great example of something that in my experience kids love he taste of but are troubles with the texture.

This recipe would be great to finely chop for younger kids or puree and freeze to mix with a bland puree for babies.

KIDS CAN:

* Season the duck

* Weigh the spuds

* Separate the chestnuts (with supervision, they’ll be hot)

* Peel the garlic, Jake and James love banging it to loosen the skin

* Measure the vinegar, kids love measuring spoons!

* Measure the chicken stock (if it is cold)

* Pick the spikes from the stalks of rosemary

* Cut the butter with a butter knife

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