One of the things that has gotten our little family through this pandemic is creating theme nights for our dinners. For example, Fridays are always pizza night and Sundays my husband takes over the kitchen for Steakhouse Sunday. Saturday nights were our “Asian” night, which could be Chinese, Indian, or any other Asian culture. However, more recently Asian cuisine has snuck its way into weeknights, so we have decided to reinvent our Saturdays.
We decided to make Saturdays our “gourmet” date night. No, we don’t have a babysitter for our daughter, so she is part of the date. I mean, why not?! We enjoy her company, so it is natural that she join us for a great Julia Childs inspired meal.
For our first “Gourmet” Date Night, I took inspiration from the show Chopped. If you’ve never watched the show–we love it–the competing chefs basically turn a basket full of surprise ingredients into a gourmet meal. That is kind of what I did tonight, but instead of a surprise basket I turned to what I had in the refrigerator and pantry.
I started with the pomegranates I spontaneously bought at the supermarket the other day. They were so gorgeous I couldn’t resist them. However, I bought them with no plan in mind (dangerous, I know). So for tonight’s dinner, I had to find something to pair them with. I could have gone salad, but I wanted to do something more interesting with them.
Digging through the freezer, I found some duck breasts that I bought AGES ago. I also found some potatoes, carrots and pistachios in the pantry. And when you put all of that in the same “basket” it is the start of a great dinner.
What I came up with was a pan seared duck, topped with a pomegranate relish. While that on it’s own makes for a tasty dish, it wasn’t quite a meal. So I decided to pair the duck with root veggies (potato and carrots) that had been pan roasted in rendered duck fat to create dimension. The result was something pretty amazing, especially served with an Oregon rosé wine!
While the dish is actually pretty easy to make, I did rate it as “intermediate” only because of the duck. Duck isn’t hard to make, but it does take attention and there is a fine line between perfect and overcooked. So, if you are new to making duck, just follow the recipe closely and you’ll be fine.
I made this dish with Muscovy duck, which is has a flavor profile similar to beef. However, it would be just as good with the more delicate Pekin duck. I encourage you to give it a try. There is a nice balance to the dish and it would be a great date night meal, any night of the week!
Pan Seared Duck with Pomegranate Relish
Course: DinnerCuisine: French AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate2
servings40
minutesIngredients
- Pomegranate Relish
1/3 c pistachios, roasted and salted
2/3 c pomegranate arils (seeds)
1 1/2 tbs fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Duck
1 whole skin-on duck breast, split
1-2 tsp canola oil
Salt
Pepper
- Vegetables
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes or 2 small Russet potatoes, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
1/2 tbs Italian parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Directions
- Begin by preparing the nuts and vegetables. Remove enough pistachios from shells to measure 1/3 cup. Rough chop pistachios. Peel potatoes and slice into 1/2″ slices. Peel carrots and slice on the diagonal into 1/2″ slices. Chop Italian parsley.
- Place potatoes and carrots in a medium sauce pan, cover with cold water so that vegetables are about 1″ below the surface. Place pan on stovetop, turn on to medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil about 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are parcooked and not quite fork tender. Gently drain potatoes and carrots, taking care not to smash potatoes and set aside.
- While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, prepare the cold duck breast by scoring the fat in a 1/2″ cross hatch pattern. Take care not to go into the meat. Pat the meat dry and season well with salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning into the skin. Allow seasoned meat to rest while you prepare the pistachio relish.
- Add pistachios to a medium bowl and mix in pomegranate arils, parsley, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Gently toss, then set aside.
- Place duck breast skin side down into a COLD cast iron skillet that has been lightly covered with 1-2 tsp canola oil. Press the breasts down so that the skin makes full contact with the skillet. Turn on heat to medium.
- Allow duck fat to render for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of duck you are using (see notes). The skin should be a very dark golden-brown. Turn the heat down to low, then carefully turn the breasts over to cook meat side. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan with the meat.
- Cook duck breasts 2-5 minutes more or until they are plump and measure 125-130F in the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove duck from pan and rest skin up and uncovered for 10 minutes.
- While duck rests, continue cooking the potatoes and carrots, stirring regularly until they are golden-brown on the outside, about 5 minutes.
- Slice duck in thick slices (thin slices get cold quickly!) and top with pomegranate relish. Serve with potatoes and carrots. Enjoy!
Notes
- The type of duck you use will impact cooking time.
Pekin (or Peking) ducks are smaller, more delicate in flavor, and tend to have more fat. They are also easier to find. They are a good duck for those new to eating duck meat.
Muscovy (or Barbary) ducks have darker meat and less fat. The meat of Muscovy ducks are often compared to beef, but with gamier notes. - Yukon Gold potatoes are a bit creamer and are preferred. However Russets can be used if that is what you have on hand.
