Duck Breasts On White Beans With Dandelion Greens Recipes

WILD MALLARD DUCK CASSOULET WITH DUCK CONFIT, WHITE BEANS, SURRY COUNTY SAUSAGE, BRAISED GREENS, AND POACHED DUCK FOIE GRAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cassoulet: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add shallots, white beans, duck confit, sausage, and the reserved bean braising liquid. Simmer to blend flavors, about 15 to 20 minutes. If needed, add the reserved duck stock to maintain a sauce-like but not syrupy consistency. At the very end, add the local braising greens. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm.
• For the duck breast: Season duck with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the clarified butter. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down. Sear the breasts until the skin is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and fresh butter. Bake until medium-rare, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the duck. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the foie gras: Place the portioned duck foie gras into a heavy duty freezer bag, pressing out the excess air to seal. Bring a saucepan or water to a gentle simmer. When ready to serve the dish, drop the bag of foie gras into the simmering water for about 2 minutes, until the foie gras is softened throughout.
• In a bowl, spoon the white bean ragout into the center. Allow the sauce to fill the bottom of the dish. Slice the duck breast, and place on the ragout skin side up. Open the bag of poached foie gras and season with kosher salt and white pepper. Place on top of the sliced duck breasts and enjoy.

DUCK BREASTS ON WHITE BEANS WITH DANDELION GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage in oil over medium heat until browned, about 7 minutes; add carrot and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until they soften, 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic, cook until fragrant, 3 minutes.
• Add the dried beans, water, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer; cover tightly and place in oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally,
• After an hour, add the salt, stir, and continue cooking until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add water, if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time.
• Remove bay leaf and discard; taste and adjust seasoning.
• NOTE: Dish can be prepared up to this point a day ahead and refrigerated.
• Prepare the dandelion greens by chopping into 1-inch pieces, discarding larger stems; you should have 3 to 4 cups.
• Meanwhile, prepare the duck: Grind the salt, cloves, and peppercorns to a fine powder; score the breasts by slicing a cross-hatch pattern through the skin, but not into the flesh.
• Season the breasts on both sides with the spice mixture making sure to use most of it on the skin side inside the cross-hatches.
• NOTE: At this point you can wrap the breasts tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day in advance. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet, over medium-high heat, pat the skin side of the breasts dry with paper towels, and sear the breasts, skin side down, until deep, golden brown, pressing down with a spatula from time to time, 4 to 5 minutes (in batches if necessary).
• Turn breasts over, reduce heat to medium, and cook until medium-rare in the center, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Remove breasts to rest on a cutting surface for 5 minutes before slicing into thick slices, on the bias.
• While the breasts are cooking, reheat the beans, adding water if necessary, to achieve a risotto-like texture, and add dandelion greens; cook, covered, until greens soften, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary, and red wine vinegar to taste.
• To serve: Spoon 3/4 to 1 cup of the beans onto a serving plate and top with a sliced duck breast.
• You will have some beans left over for another meal.

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.