Duck Breasts On White Beans With Dandelion Greens Recipes

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.

DUCK BREAST OVER GREENS

Steps:

• Toss the mesclun with the cubed Asian pear and salad dressing; season with salt and pepper and divide it among 4 dinner plates.
• Make sure to remove fat and skin from each duck breast half. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a non-stick skillet until hot. Add olive oil and duck breasts, skin side down. Saute for to 4 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other for very rare duck (or longer if you don't like it rare).
• Remove duck to a cutting board. Add spices to skillet with tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced. Remove from heat.
• Cut the duck in thin diagonal slices and fan them over the salad in the center. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve, garnished with olives.

DUCK BREAST WITH CLEMENTINES AND TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, score the fat of the duck breasts in a cross-hatch pattern through the fat, down to the meat but not into the meat. Season generously with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat and schmear it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange the duck breasts, skin side down, in the pan. Be sure that the duck fits in the pan comfortably and is not crowded. Slowly render the fat from the duck breasts. This needs to be done s-l-o-w-l-y, otherwise the fat with be sealed into the skin and will not render out. The idea is to make crispy duck skin. This process will take about 30 minutes or so. As the fat builds up in the pan, remove it, but SAVE IT! It will be used to saute the kale later.
• When the fat has rendered from the duck breast, turn the heat to medium-high and brown both sides of the duck breast. When the duck is browned on both sides, move it to a sheet pan and put it in the preheated oven to cook it to medium rare, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the duck from the oven to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
• Add the clementine juice and segments to the saute pan and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. When the juice has reduced by a little more than half, add half of the chicken stock, the thyme and season the whole shootin' match with salt. Continue to cook until the stock has reduced by half, then add a little more of the chicken stock. Continue to reduce the stock and turn the heat off when it gets to a sauce-like consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed.
• While the sauce is reducing and the duck is resting, add some of the reserved duck fat to a large saute pan. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden brown and aromatic, remove it from the saute pan and discard it. Toss in the prepared kale and season with salt, to taste. Add some of the reserved chicken stock to help steam the greens. Saute the greens until they are wilted but still vibrant looking. Taste for seasoning.
• Divide the greens among 4 serving plates. Slice each duck breast and fan the slices over the kale. Spoon some of the sauce on and around the duck. Garnish with the supremed clementines and the pomegranate seeds.
• It's just ducky!

DUCK BREASTS ON WHITE BEANS WITH DANDELION GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage in oil over medium heat until browned, about 7 minutes; add carrot and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until they soften, 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic, cook until fragrant, 3 minutes.
• Add the dried beans, water, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer; cover tightly and place in oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally,
• After an hour, add the salt, stir, and continue cooking until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add water, if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time.
• Remove bay leaf and discard; taste and adjust seasoning.
• NOTE: Dish can be prepared up to this point a day ahead and refrigerated.
• Prepare the dandelion greens by chopping into 1-inch pieces, discarding larger stems; you should have 3 to 4 cups.
• Meanwhile, prepare the duck: Grind the salt, cloves, and peppercorns to a fine powder; score the breasts by slicing a cross-hatch pattern through the skin, but not into the flesh.
• Season the breasts on both sides with the spice mixture making sure to use most of it on the skin side inside the cross-hatches.
• NOTE: At this point you can wrap the breasts tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day in advance. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet, over medium-high heat, pat the skin side of the breasts dry with paper towels, and sear the breasts, skin side down, until deep, golden brown, pressing down with a spatula from time to time, 4 to 5 minutes (in batches if necessary).
• Turn breasts over, reduce heat to medium, and cook until medium-rare in the center, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Remove breasts to rest on a cutting surface for 5 minutes before slicing into thick slices, on the bias.
• While the breasts are cooking, reheat the beans, adding water if necessary, to achieve a risotto-like texture, and add dandelion greens; cook, covered, until greens soften, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary, and red wine vinegar to taste.
• To serve: Spoon 3/4 to 1 cup of the beans onto a serving plate and top with a sliced duck breast.
• You will have some beans left over for another meal.