Duck Breast, Roasted Figs and Potatoes Salardaise - Chef Recipe by Charles-Etienne Prétet

Ingredients

4 duck breast
8 figs
1 kg Kiffler potatoes
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of Thyme
2 onion shallot
1 bunch of curly parsley
150 g of duck fat
1 orange (juiced)
2 tsp of honey
Salt and pepper

Method

For the potatoes salardaises, wash the potatoes well as you will be keeping the skin on. Slice the potatoes in slices of 1cm thick. Put the 4 Tbsp of duck fat in a non stick fry pan on medium heat and add the potatoes, let them colour for around 5 min and stir them often to have the same colour on both sides of the potatoes. Reduce the heat of your fry pan to low, add 5 branches of fresh thyme, 3 garlic cloves ,and 2 onion shallots chopped finely and cook for around 15-20 min until all the potatoes turn golden (crispy outside, moist inside). Add some freshly chopped parley and season with salt flakes and pepper as you wish.

For the duck breast, score the fat of your duck breasts and season them with salt flakes. Put a large non stick pan on medium heat and place your 4 duck breasts (fat down) in the fry pan, let the fat reduce and crisp for around 5 min or until golden. Empty the fat of your fry pan in a bowl (you can keep this fat to cook your potatoes or use it another day). Turn your duck breast and sear them for 30 seconds on the other side before taking them out. Keep your fry pan on the side and deglaze the pan with your orange juice.

Place the duck breasts in a baking tray with a spoon of butter, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 4 branches of Thyme, in the oven at 180°C for around 10 min. Take the duck beast out of the oven and let them rest in the tray cover with paper foil for 5-10 min so the meat can relax and reject all of the blood to become tender. (The resting process is very important for the duck breast, as it is a muscle, it you don't rest your meat enough, you might find your duck tough or bloody) When rested, slice your duck breast, they should be pink, tender and ready to be served.

For the sauce, pour the juice from your duck breast into the fry pan used previously to cook them in and add 2 spoonfulls of honey in the fry pan, combined with your orange juice and your duck juice. Combine together until you make a syrupy jus. Rectify the seasoning as you wish and glaze your duck breast with your jus.

To make the roasted figs, cut your figs in half , place them in a tray face up with half of spoon of honey on top of each. Sprinkle a bit of Thyme on the figs and cook them for 8 minutes at 180°C or until soft.

On a plate, place your sliced duck breast, pour your jus over the top of it. On the side of the plate, place 2 roasted figs and a serve of the potatoes salardaise.