Duck with Plum Sauce and Carola's Mash

I think when cooking and experimenting a lot there is a time when you out do your expectations, this is one of those times for us. The results in this case spoke for themselves and left us very happy with our lovely dish that can only be compared to top restaurant quality.  I do have to give credit to James Martin for the main recipe idea; however our dish has a little more thyme and we also added garlic to the plum sauce. We served this up with Carola's personal mash recipe which can be found below and this went perfect with the dish every way. I think we need to cook with duck more often as it seems much underestimated and not very well stocked in mainstream supermarkets. It does cost more than most meat but not much more than chicken breast and less than the price of fillet steak. Anyways enough speculating as this is a very very very good dish, go forth and pick up these ingredients and put it all together and enjoy immensely. :)

Makes 2 quacking portions

Equipment:-

• A griddle or frying pan
• 2 pots
• Chopping board
• Colander
• A sharp knife
• A small baking dish
• Potato masher

Ingredients

Duck Breasts

• 2 Duck Breasts with skin scored several times
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 star anise
• 25g of butter
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Raw duck breast

Plum Sauce

• 4 dark red plums de stoned and cut into wedges
• 300ml of beef stock
• 50ml of red wine
• 2 garlic cloves finely diced
• 3 tbsp of Demerara sugar
• 1 large shallot diced finely
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Plum garlic and onions

Carola's Mash

• 4 medium potatoes chopped into quarters
• 1 small carrot sliced into rings
• 1 small parsnip peeled and sliced into rings
• A knob of butter
• splash of milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
  

  

  Carola's Famous Mash

Method

• Heat 1 tsbp of oil in a pan and fry the shallots for 3-4 mins
• Add the garlic and fry for 1 min
• Add the plums and sugar and fry until the sugar has dissolved
• Add the red wine and stock
• Simmer for 15 mins stirring occasionally until it has thickened

Plum sauce

• Leave to cool to room temperature
• Add the potatoes, carrots and parsnips to a pan
• Cover with water and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins
• Drain the water from the mash and return to the pan
• Mash a little for a few seconds
• Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, butter and milk
• Mash for about 1 min, taste and season more if needed
• Heat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4
• Heat Griddle pan to medium/high
• Season duck breast and place on griddle pan skin side down
• Leave to cook for 5 mins
• Then turn the duck and add the butter, thyme and star anise
• Once butter has melted baste the duck a couple of times
• Transfer to a baking dish and put in the oven for 5-6 mins for medium rare
• Remove from oven and let rest on chopping board for 5 mins
• Heat some of the plum sauce and in the mean time slice the duck in thin slices
  

  

  Succulent duck breast

• Add some of the mash to a plate and organize the duck around the mash
• Drizzle some of the duck pan juices over the duck
• Spoon some of the plum sauce over the duck and potatoes
  

  

  Succulent duck breast

           Duck with Plum Sauce and Carola's Mash Done!!!