Seared Duck Breast
with carrot purée, buttered green beans and sautéed mushrooms and potatoes
This Seared Duck Breast recipe is foolproof. Quick and easy, succulent and juicy. Served with Carrot Purée, buttered green beans, sautéed mushrooms and this gorgeous Balsamic Red Wine Jus. Impress your friends and family with this simple and delicious meal.
This dish is damn delicious, I came up with this combination on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I knew I was having duck breast with my signature Balsamic Red Wine Jus for dinner and I wanted to use up the vegetables I had in the house. Waste not want not, I found some dying carrots and mushrooms, potatoes and some green beans and I got to cooking! I personally love Carrot Purée and it pairs beautifully with duck. This Seared Duck Breast pairing is a match made in heaven!
How to Cook Seared Duck
- Bring the duck out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking and wash and dry the duck breasts thoroughly with kitchen roll.
- Once dry score the duck skin with a sharp knife in a cross hatch style.
- Next sprinkle some salt, pepper and a little Chinese five spice on both sides of the duck and set aside.
- Put a cast iron pan on the heat on low and put the duck breasts in the pan skin side down and leave to cook for about 7 minutes. At this stage you are trying to cook and render the skin and fat on the duck.
- After 7 minutes turn the heat up to medium and cook for a further 3 minutes on that side before turning over and cooking for 5-7 minutes on the other side. For medium rare duck go to step 7.
- If you want your duck medium I suggest pre heating your oven to 180c on fan and putting the duck in for 3-5 minutes.
- When done take out of the pan and cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving.
Tips & Tricks
- When I am having sautéed mushrooms, I always sauté them in butter salt, pepper and mixed herbs. This leaves them juicy, nutty and well seasoned.
- Green beans are one of my favourite green sides, boil them in cold water for about 10 minutes before draining and tossing in a little butter and fresh black pepper.
- Sautéed potatoes are a great way to avoid throwing away old potatoes. Supermarket bags are often too much for one person, so I like to chop them finely and sauté in sunflower oil as a great side for many dishes. Quicker than roasties and chips and still a delicious accompaniment to meat.
Serving Suggestions –
Head over to my Carrot Purée and Balsamic Red Wine Jus recipes to complete this dish. If you fancy trying this recipe but dont have all of the ingredients try it with some Pomme Purée instead and any green veg of your choice. Swap the green beans for some broccoli or brussel sprouts! Let me know how it goes in the comments!
Seared Duck Breast
Equipment
- Cast iron pan
- 2 Frying pans
- Blender
- Sharp knife
- Peeler
- Chopping board
- Colander
- Tongs
- Spoon
Ingredients
Seared Duck Breast
- 2 duck breasts
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp chinese five spice
Sautéed Mushrooms
- 6 chestnut mushrooms
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp mixed herbs
Sautéed Potatoes
- 6 baby potatoes I used alexandra from lidl
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Buttered Green Beans
- 100 g green beans
- salt
- pepper
- ½ tsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Seared Duck Breast – Medium rare
- Bring the duck out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking and wash and dry the duck breasts thoroughly with kitchen roll. Once dry score the duck skin with a sharp knife in a cross hatch style and season with the salt, pepper and a Chinese five spice on both sides of the duck and set aside.
- Put a cast iron pan on the heat on low and put the duck breasts in the pan skin side down and leave to cook for about 7 minutes. Leave to cook and allow the skin and fat on the duck to render.
- After 7 minutes turn the heat up to medium and cook for a further 3 minutes on that side before turning over and cooking for 5-7 minutes on the other side.
- Finally, take out of the pan and cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving.
Sautéed Mushrooms
- Wash and slice the mushrooms put in a bowl and add the seasoning.
- Heat a frying pan on high with a splash of olive oil. When hot add the butter and mushrooms and sauté or about 7-10 minutes or until browned and juicy.
Buttered Green Beans
- Put the beans on at the same time as you put the duck in. Wash and trim the green beans and pop them in a pot with some cold water cover and put on the stove on high. Leave to boil for 10 minutes.
- Check the beans with a fork if you are unsure and then drain and put the beans back in the pot. Finally add the butter, salt and pepper and you are done.
Sautéed Potatoes
- Do this step at the start. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly before adding to a bowl and adding the seasoning and mixing.
- Sauté the potatoes about 5 minutes before your duck in done. Heat oil in pan on high for about 3-5 minutes then turn heat down to medium and add the sliced potatoes to the pan ensuring each piece is flat in the pan and leave to fry for 3-4 minutes before turning and frying the other side.
- Once the potatoes are dark brown on the edges and a golden brown colour they should be ready. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan and put them on some kitchen roll to soak up the excess oil.
- Plate up your duck and trimmings and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this Seared Duck Breast?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @chilliandlife on Instagram and hashtag it #chilliandlife #CANDL.
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The photos on this recipe make it look even better than it already sounds. Excited to try this tonight! I have all my ingredients ready
Thank you Ursula! I hope it went well – Please do tag us in your creations 🙂