Duck breast with sweet potato gnocchi

Pan fried duck breast, fried sweet potato gnocchi, with a red wine
reduction.
Plum and spring onion garnishes.
The dish is made from 4 basic components, duck breast, sweet
potato gnocchi, a red wine reduction and caramelised plums. Although this dish
doesn’t seem so simple it can be, with the right preparation. It’s great as a
main course for dinner parties, trying to impress friends or just for a treat.

Ingredients: Serves 2

For the fried gnocchi

·1 large sweet potato (approx 220g/ 8 ounces)
·1 cup of plain pasta flour (plus extra for
dusting)
·Salt
·Little olive oil (for frying)
·Butter (optional)

For the duck breast

·2 large duck breasts
·Salt & pepper
·Thyme
I know it’s been said before but, it makes a difference to
source both meat and fish from a local butcher or market. I have read many
cookbooks and watched countless television programs, where I have been told to use
local this and organic that, and have thought I might and didn’t seem to commit
to it. However in recent years I have explored local butchers, and regularly go
to the market to buy meat and fish, as Doncaster has a great food market. Not only
is it nice to receive a better quality of service with someone who knows what
they are selling, but the taste is excellent. If you need a piece of meat such
as a fillet steak, you can ask to find out how long it’s hung and if it’s
locally reared. I will also point out before going to my local market I checked
the price of a pack of two duck breasts at my local supermarket Tesco, and
given finest was the only option when it came to duck breast it’s was around
£6-£7 for both depending on the size. At the market it was £5-£6, so markets
and butchers aren’t always more expensive, and bear in mind if you’re eating
better quality meat you don’t always need as much.

For the red wine reduction

·200ml red wine
·1 sprig of rosemary (optional)

Garnish
·4 plums
·Spring onions

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking 30mins
Method
Preheat an oven to a low setting around 50 degrees C, gas mark 1. Firstly you need to prepare your gnocchi; you can do this a couple of hours in advance or overnight if you want to. Peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks, no smaller than an inch of so, because they will absorb too much water meaning
the mixture will be harder to bind together leaving a watery taste. Boiling in salted water for 10-15minutes
until soft but not falling apart. Drain well and place on a baking tray and
place in the oven for 5-10minutes, depending on the age of potatoes and oven you’re using it can be different, but the chunks need to be dry of excess moisture. Remove from oven and mash or put through a
ricer, to form a puree. In a bowl add a good pinch of salt to the flour (approx. half a tsp), and add the purée to a well made in the flour. Using your hands mix to form wet dough, turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a long cylinder, approx. inch in width. Continue to flour your hands if it is loose dough in
order to continue rolling. I found it was quite soft and need very light hands but slightly more rolling. Wrap the sausage shapes in a cling-film for 3 layers until tight, and twist at the ends. (This is where you can leave for a couple of hours or overnight for convenience). Slice the plum in half and quarters and rub in olive oil and a little sugar.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 F/ gas mark 4. Preheat a baking tray if your frying pan isn't
oven proof. It is important that the duck breasts are at room temperature before cooking; otherwise they are likely to overcook on the outside and be undercooked in the middle. To prepare the duck score the fatty skin, and rub in salt. Lightly season the breast with salt and pepper all over. Put the duck breasts skin side down in a cold, dry, frying pan, heat the pan to fry on a moderate heat until the skin is golden and fat has rendered out. Add the thyme to the pan to add a different flavour dimension to the duck if desired. Add
the plums to caramelise, in the other half of the pan in the duck fat. Turn he heat up, and turn so the duck is golden on all sides. This should take 5-6 minutes in total. Put the wine and rosemary on a moderate heat, bring to a steady simmer and reduce by half, until the bitter taste isn’t present. Remove the rosemary as soon as it has wilted in order to not overpower the sauce (approx. 15minutes). When the duck is golden on all sides put the pan in oven or transfer to the preheated tray, and cook for 5-10. For most large duck breasts it should be around 7 minutes to be pink in the middle, but check how springy the duck feels. Whilst the duck is in the oven, place the gnocchi (in clingfilm- so it is important to wrap in a few layers) to boil until they float to the surface.
Rest the duck for 5minutes.
Slice into inch long cylinder shapes, and remove clingfilm. Add olive oil and butter to a frying pan a fry the gnocchi until golden and crisp on the outside.
To serve slice the duck at an angle, with the gnocchi and red wine reduction and spring onion to garnish.

Any questions please comment.