Duck Breast with sweet potato mash

Duck Breast, Sweet Potato Mash, Greens Beans & Mushrooms

with Gavin Sutherland @another_food_blogger

Serves 4ppl

Prep = 10mins Cook = 30mins

Ingredients

4 x duck breasts
100g green beans
100g mushrooms
½ red onion
Thyme
2 x cloves garlic
Salt & pepper

Mash

400g sweet potatoes
50-100g butter
Vegetable or chicken stock

Method

Duck

1. Score the skin of the duck – being careful not to cut down to the meat
2. Season generously
3. Place skin side down into a cold nonstick pan on low-medium heat
4. Cook for 8-10mins allowing the fat to render and the skin to crisp
5. Flip, and cook for a further 2mins
6. Place on a wired baking tray and cook @ 180c for 4mins
7. Rest for 8mins before slicing

Sweet Potatoes

1. Peel the cut the potatoes into equal sized pieces and place in a saucepan covering them with stock
2. Cook for 10-12 mins or until sweet potatoes are soft
3. Drain, pour them back into the saucepan and allow the steam to release
4. Roughly mash using a potato masher whilst adding butter

Vegetables

1. Slice the onion and mushrooms and pick the stems from the green beans
2. In a frying pan with a little oil fry the mushrooms and onions for approx. 3 mins on high
3. Add the green beans and cook for a further 4-5 mins
4. Finish with garlic, thyme and a little butter for 30 seconds to 1 minute

Essential Tools

• Chef knives
• Chopping board
• 2 x non stick frying pans
• Baking tray and wire rack
• Potato masher
• Saucepan

Tips/Tricks

• Always cook duck skin side down – this helps render the fat, allows the skin to crisp but also protects the delicate meat from overcooking
• ALWAYS rest your duck breast for 8+ minutes – if you slice it too soon you will lose all the moisture and be left with a brown dry piece of meat
• My advice when making this dish is to make the sweet potatoes first and prepare all the vegetables so you can focus on nailing the duck! As you perfect the art of cooking duck you will learn to speed up the process
• I like a slightly rustic mash so I use a traditional masher over a potato ricer when making sweet potato mash