Duck Magret With a Blueberry Port Sauce

Submitted by The Flying Chef

"I decided to try another new way to prepare a duck breast with a new sauce, both my hubby and I enjoyed this. I thought it turned out really well with sauce really complimenting the duck. I did adjust the ingredients several times but I think I have written the right quantities for 2 people."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• 2 duck breasts (I live near France so I buy magret they are larger than regular breasts so choose ones of a nice siz)
• 1 garlic clove, bruised
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 1⁄2 orange, zest of

• Blueberry Port Sauce

• 1 cup port wine
• 1 tablespoon red currant jelly
• 150 g blueberries
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cornflour

• Spinach

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 30 g butter
• 300 g baby spinach leaves

• Rosti Style Potatoes

• 2 medium potatoes, coarsely grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 25 -30 g butter

directions

1. Duck Breast.
2. Place the duck breast in a container with the garlic, orange zest and thyme. Cover the container and place it in a refrigerator, leave it to infuse for a few hours.
3. Cook duck breast skin side down over medium/high heat to render fat and crisp skin. This will take 8-10 minutes, you will have to drain fat periodically as a lot of fat will fill the pan, just be careful. as it is very hot.
4. Transfer duck to an oven proof dish, place on a wire rack and cook in 180c oven for 20-25 minutes, this will leave it nice and pink in the middle. I turn the oven, to grill, for the last few minutes to really crisp up the skin, but take your pick I like it this way.
5. Blueberry Sauce.
6. Heat port, half the berries and redcurrant jelly in a pan. Heat to a medium/high heat and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces to a thin sauce consistency.
7. Add a little water to cornflour and add to sauce to thicken slightly, add Dijon mustard and whisk to dissolve.
8. Remove from heat and stir in remaining berries and serve immediately.
9. Spinach.
10. Heat oil in a large pan add onion and garlic, cook until onion softens.
11. Melt butter in same pan, add spinach and cook until spinach is soft.
12. Rosti Style Potatoes.
13. Heat butter in a pan, add onion and garlic and cook until soft, using an absorbent cloth squeeze any excess liquid from potatoes and add to pan, cook until potato is sticky. Remove mixture from pan.
14. Using egg rings place mixture inside and cook until browned and crisp on both sides.
15. Alternatively I did this last night as I was in a hurry, but it does not make for the best presentation. Just leave potato in pan and stir cooking until crisp, it is a little quicker but potato is in bits rather than a nice shaped ring.
16. To Serve: Pour a little sauce on plate, place sliced duck breast on top of sauce, serve spinach and rosti on the side.

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

This was a very tasty complete meal! We really enjoyed the blueberry port sauce with the duck. It paired very nicely. I also enjoyed the spinach and rosti potatoes. I marinated my duck for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours or so. DH thought the duck was just a little too orangey, but that could have been that I had to choose between a large orange and a smaller orange that I had on hand and when I opted for the smaller of the two, I used a little more zest than half of it. I would definitely say the zest of half of a small orange is perfect for this recipe. Also, for non-Europeans, the ingredient "cornflour" is the USA equivalent of "cornstarch." FYI. Thanks for a nice meal.