Duck & avocado salad with miso dressing
Serves: 4 as a starter
Ingredients:
• 2 Gressingham duck legs
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• 2 radishes, washed and sliced
• 150g mixed leaves, washed
• Small bunch coriander
Dressing
• 100g white miso paste
• 75ml light olive oil
• 50ml light soy sauce
• 50ml maple syrup
• 50ml rice wine vinegar
(use white wine vinegar as substitute)
• 25ml blended sesame oil
• Pinch coarse black pepper
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan. Pat the duck legs dry with kitchen paper and season all over with salt and pepper. Place the duck legs on a baking tray, skin side up and roast for approx 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can use this time to prepare the salad and dressing. Whisk all the dressing ingredients vigorously in a bowl.
At the end of cooking time, check the duck for tenderness and return to the oven for 15 minutes if more cooking is required. Once the duck is cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool until it is at a temperature to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and set aside until ready to serve.
Divide the leaves and avocado onto 4 starter plates. Scatter the duck over the top and spoon over the dressing. Garnish with fresh coriander.
This dish also works well with any cooked duck left over from a roast and of course will save you time.
Duck Caesar salad
Caesar salad is a firm favourite for many and lends itself very well to duck.
Serves: 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
Ingredients:
• 2 Gressingham duck breasts
• 3 to 4 gem lettuce
• 2 slices sourdough
(roughly torn into 3cm pieces)
• 30g shaved Parmesan
Dressing
• 100ml light olive oil
• 30g finely grated Parmesan
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp water
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan. Dry the duck breasts well with kitchen paper. Lightly score the skin with a sharp knife, six to eight times, and season both sides.
Separate the gem leaves, wash and drain. Whisk or blend all the dressing ingredients. Add more water if needed to create a thickness you prefer, and season to taste.
Lay the duck breasts skin side down into a wide, oven proof cold pan without any oil. Cook over a low to medium heat for 6-8 minutes until golden and crisp, carefully pouring off any excess fat into a bowl as the duck cooks. Place torn bread around the duck and place pan in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
Remove from the oven, turn the duck over so it’s skin side up, mix the bread in the duck oil. Remove bread onto kitchen paper and allow duck to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile take a large bowl, place in the leaves and coat them with half of the dressing. Divide onto your serving plates. Share out the bread croutons.
After resting, slice the duck and place on top of the leaves. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and scatter the shaved Parmesan on top.
Roast Spatchcock poussin with chimmichurri
Serves: 2 to 4 people
Ingredients:
• 2 Gressingham spatchcock poussin
• 1 tbsp light olive oil
Chimmichurri
• Small handful flat leaf parsley and coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and
finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• Sea salt
Potato salad
• 400g new potatoes
• 1 tbsp horseradish cream
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 radish, washed and thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
Slaw
• Half small red cabbage,
core removed, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 small white onion, peeled and
thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan oven. Pat birds dry with kitchen paper and lightly season all over.
Preparation of the chimmichurri can be done a day ahead. Mix all the ingredients together, season with sea salt, set aside or refrigerate.
Simmer the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes until tender and then drain. Mix all the slaw ingredients together, season with salt and pepper.
Place a large frying pan onto a low to medium heat and add oil. When hot carefully lay in the poussin breast side down until coloured, approx 6-8 minutes. Turn the poussin over to seal. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a roasting tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. When cooked remove from the oven and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl put in all ingredients for potato salad, cut some of the larger potatoes in half if needed, and mix well. Season to taste.
To serve place the slaw and potato salad into seperate serving bowls and the chimmichurri into a ramekin. On a chopping board cut the poussin in half along the breast bone. Drizzle any poussin juices over the bird and a spoon of chimmichurri. Place everything into the middle of the table so everyone can share.