Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Puree, Veggies and Port Sauce 🎄

It is Christmas time! Probably you already have seen our scallop starter as well. If not, I would recommend you do so. We wanted to give you some more inspiration with this easy duck recipe. It has all the right trimmings and a flavorful and luscious port sauce. The crispy fried sage leaves add a herby and crispy finishing touch.

This dish is mainly driven by the combination of the duck and the port reduction sauce. To make this sauce I would advice to use the highest quality poultry stock you can get (or preferably make it yourself). You can also add some extra thyme and a crushed clove of garlic to the sauce, but this basic recipe will be sufficient to impress your guests and is not a lot of work at all! Enjoy your Christmas, and hopefully this recipe helps you to have a wonderful Christmas diner! 🎄

Step 1
First of all, try to remove your duck breast from the fridge 1 hour before you start cooking to make sure it will be at room temperature when you pan-sear the duck. Then peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into even-sized cubes. Add to a pan, together with 75 ml of water, 50 grams of butter, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer and turn low. Let this simmer for about 25 minutes.
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Step 2
In the meantime, it is time to prepare the sauce. Finely chop the shallot and saute for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add your stock and port wine and reduce by half or until the reduction thickens. Set this aside, clean your mushrooms and finely chop your garlic. Heat your frying pan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry your sage leaves in the oil for about 20-30 seconds or until crispy and put them on a piece of kitchen paper. 

‍Step 3
Now we are getting there! Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Score the fat side of the duck breast (but not too deep) and add it to the already hot pan with the fat side down. Make sure your pan is on medium heat and let the fat render for about 5 minutes or until evenly golden and crispy. Then turn over the duck breast, add a small knob of butter to the pan, and baste your duck for two more minutes. Now add this to an oven dish and continue cooking for about 8 more minutes or until a core temperature of 53 degrees Celsius. 

‍Step 4
In the meantime, we fry our mushrooms with half of the garlic and a bit of olive oil until nicely golden, add them to an ovenproof dish, and put them in the oven next to the duck. Now add some olive oil the rest of the garlic and your spinach to the pan. Saute until it is fragrant and welted down and set aside. Now you mash your sweet potatoes with a tbsp of cream and salt and pepper to taste. Since we used only a little bit of water, we didn't have to drain them before mashing them to create the ultimate texture and flavor. reheat your port reduction and cut off the heat again, add 50 grams of cold butter and combine with a whisk. 

‍Step 5
After your duck hits 53 degrees Celsius you let it rest on your counter for about 10 minutes and then we are ready to plate the dish. Start with a layer of your potato puree and add the spinach and mushrooms on top. Slice your duck into 6 pieces and add 3 pieces to both plates (like in the picture). Finish with the sauce and crispy sage leaves and your dish is finished. Enjoy! 🎄