Breast of Duck with Gooseberry Sauce, Spring Greens and Sautéed New Potatoes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4x 175g duck breasts with skin on
2 tbsp Szechwan peppercorns
1/2 cup caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
200g gooseberries
300ml (about half a bottle) dry red wine
300ml brown chicken (or duck) stock (see below)
1-2 tbsp honey
25g butter, cut into cubes
400g spring greens, cored and finely shredded
8 large charlotte potatoes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Sprig thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Method:
Heat the oven to 200°c.

Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss cross pattern. Toast the Szechwan peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, then tip into a pestle and mortar with a little salt and pepper. Lightly crush the mixture and use to generously coat the duck breasts.

Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, on a dry ovenproof pan and cook over very low heat to render down most of the fat. This may take 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fat.

Place the sugar in a small saucepan with a cup of water. Gently heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon zest and mix through. Increase the heat and boil the liquid for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Tip in the gooseberries and gently poach for 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool in the syrup.

For the sauce, place the red wine in a pan, season with a little salt and pepper, and boil for 7-8 minutes until reduced by half. Pour in the stock and reduce again by half.

Drain off most of the fat from the duck, then turn up the heat fry until the skin is crisp. Add a touch of olive oil, turn them over and cook the flesh side for 1-2 minutes. Place the pan into the hot oven for 8-10 minutes for medium-cooked duck, which should be slightly springy when pressed.

Stir the honey into the sauce. Take the pan off the heat and add a few knobs of butter for shine, swirling the liquid to melt the butter. Transfer the gooseberries to the sauce to warm through, adding the syrup according to taste. (If you prefer a smooth sauce, press the gooseberries through a fine sieve and mix the purée with the sauce). Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Parboil the potatoes, drain and slice thickly while still warm. Sauté the garlic in pan of hot olive oil, add the potatoes and cook until brown and crisped on the outside.

When ready, rest the duck on a warm plate for a few minutes. Wilt the spring greens with a few knobs of butter in a hot pan. Season well then divide among warm serving plates. Slice the duck breasts thickly on the diagonal and fan out over the spring greens. Spoon over the sauce and serve with the sautéed potatoes.