Duckling With Tuscan White Beans Recipes

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.

DUCKLING WITH TUSCAN WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and place them in a large bowl.
• Fill the bowl with cold water to 3 inches above the level of the beans; soak the beans overnight.
• Combine the rosemary, parsley, white wine and 2 tablespoons oil in a zip-seal bag.
• Add the duck breasts, seal bag and toss to coat.
• Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
• Drain the beans, rinse under cold water and drain again.
• Place the beans, 12 sage leaves and garlic in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by 3 inches.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 30 minutes.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue simmering 20-30 minutes longer or until the beans are very tender.
• Meanwhile, preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium hot and brush grill rack with oil.
• Remove duckling breasts from marinade and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Grill 3-4 minutes on each side for medium rare.
• Transfer to cutting board, cover and let rest 5 minutes.
• Drain the beans reserving about 1 tablespoon cooking liquid.
• Discard the sage and garlic and return beans to saucepan.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Toss to mix.
• Add the served cooking liquid and spinach; cook over medium heat, tossing beans and spinach gently until spinach wilts.
• Cover to keep warm.
• Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the duck across the grain.
• Divide the beans between 4 plates, arrange duck on top and garnish with sage sprigs, if using.