The last year it has been a rare day that I have access to a good kitchen, a decent supermarket, and the time and inclination to actually cook. However, I am trying to get back into the habit, taking those moments when I can, such as today!
My standard summer lunch is a variation of this: Salad & protein – be it fish (salmon is my favourite), chicken, beef (lettuce burgers I really do love) or as was today the case, duck! It is simple, gets me my veggies, and if you add the right ingredients, very tasty!
Today took about 30min, I used my favourite (because it is very simple!) recipe for Duck which is this:
- Turn the oven on to 180 degrees, and have a pan ready to put the duck into! I always forget this step!!
- Take the duck breast, lay it skin side up, score the skin with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern, then rub with salt and pepper.
- Put the duck breast skin side down in a cold pan, and turn the heat up high (this seems to crispen the skin but also drain off a lot of the excess fat).
- Turn it over only when the skin is brown and crispy, making sure you season the non skin side with some salt & pepper before you flip it. Turn heat down to medium and cook there for about 3 minutes.
- Then transfer to the oven dish and put it in the oven – Skin side up (important unless you want gooey skin), for about 10 minutes, sometimes 8 is enough.. Depends how pink you want it in the middle.
- Then rest the breast for 10min, before cutting it down those same diagonal line into nice little slices. Mmmmm.
- While waiting if you collect the baking juices into a frying pan, add a little red wind and just boil it off for a bit, gives you a very tasty red wine drizzle to go over the top!
- EAT!
While the duck is cooking in the oven you can cut your salad or what ever else you want on the side…
My usual is some sort of greenery, spinach/rocket/anything green, with some cucumber, tomato, capsicum and avocado.
Drizzle some olive oil over the top followed by a little lemon juice, then some salt and pepper. Or balsamic vinegar if you want that type of taste instead 🙂
Extras can include mozzarella, goats cheese, some nuts or seeds, you can get pretty creative with salads if you want to!
