Looking for some duck breast recipes? We listed down two easy dishes that you can make for your family and friends. Read them below.
RELATED: Raising Ducks For Your Homestead
Easy Duck Breast Recipes You Can Make
1. Pan-Seared Duck Breasts With Baby Potatoes
Pan-seared duck breast recipes are well-loved by a lot of homesteaders like you. You can choose to eat the pan-seared meat as is or serve it with different sauces.
According to famous chef Gordon Ramsay, pan-searing duck breasts are similar to cooking steaks. You can press the meat using your fingers to assess if it’s rare or well done. But, one key difference is that when pan-searing duck breasts, you can already skip using oil and just grease the pan with the duck’s fat.
Here are some steps you can follow.
Ingredients Needed
- A kilo of duck breasts
- A kilo of baby potatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Store-bought gravy
Materials Needed
- Metal frying pan
- Plates
- Optional: baking tray
Step 1: Season the Duck Breast
To add some flavor, season the duck breast with salt and pepper. The salt will help extract the water out of the fat. If you want, you can also add other herbs and spices such as:
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Paprika
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Honey
Step 2: Pan-Fry the Duck in Low Fire
Put the duck in the frying pan with the skin side down. Remember, we will not be using any other cooking oil.
You need to start with low fire and increase the heat gradually to extract the oil from the duck fat. Otherwise, if you start with a hot pan, the heat will seal the fat inside the meat. Once you see the fat coming out, turn the duck breasts over for around two minutes.
Step 3: Bake the Duck Breasts in the Oven
Once you see that the duck breasts are already evenly seared, flip them again with the skin side down. Then, put the whole pan in the oven for six to eight minutes. The temperature should be set to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your pan has a plastic handle, transfer the duck breasts into a baking pan. But, make sure to heat the pan in the oven first.
Step 4: Sear the Baby Potatoes
Prepare your baby potatoes and slice them into two. Marinade them with salt and pepper, for additional taste. Then, leave them submerged in water for around ten minutes. After that, using the oil from the duck fat, sear the baby potatoes. Leave them in the frying pan until they’re soft and golden.
Step 5: Serve the Duck Breasts
Let the duck breasts rest and cool down for around five minutes. Slice them into nice thick slices so they don’t get cold quickly. Grab your store-bought gravy, arrange the duck breasts and potato slices, and your dish is ready to serve!
Just a gentle reminder, don’t forget to store the excess duck fat so you can use it again for stir-fry vegetables or other side dishes.
RELATED: 15 Tasty Recipes To Make For Mother’s Day Breakfast
2. Honey Glazed Duck Breasts With Special Apple Sauce
As a world-renowned chef, Marcus Pierre White said, duck breast recipes work especially well with honey and spices. But duck with honey and apple? It surely will be a fantastic dish. Here are the easy steps you can follow.
Ingredients Needed
- A kilo of duck breasts
- Six granny smith apples
- One whole lemon
- Half cup of honey
- Two cups of water
- ¼ cup of crushed coriander seeds
- A few slices of coriander leaves
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- Four pieces of star anise
- Three tablespoons of butter
- One tablespoon of sugar
- Pinch of salt and pepper for duck seasoning
Materials Needed
- Blender
- Mixing bowl for your honey glaze
- Another mixing bowl for your duck breasts marinade
- Cooking pan for the apple sauce
- Frying pan for the duck breasts
- Cooking pot for the honey glaze
- A clean piece of cloth
- One sauce bowl
- One serving plate
Step 1: Create the Apple Sauce
Grab the six pieces of apples and slice them thinly. Heat water in a cooking pan along with the butter. Then, bring the water to a boil and throw in the apple slices. Take the lemon and squeeze it using the cloth as a filter so no seeds will fall into the pan. Cook the apples for about five minutes.
Step 2: Puree the Apples
Using your blender, puree the apples. Once you see that the consistency of the apple mixture is already creamy, pour it into the sauce bowl.
Step 3: Prepare the Honey Glaze
First, in a cooking pot, mix the honey, water, crushed coriander seeds, and star anise. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, set it aside and let it rest.
Step 4: Pan-sear the Duck Breasts
This step is similar to the pan-searing duck breast recipe mentioned above. First, marinate the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and olive oil and leave them for five to ten minutes.
Then, put the duck breasts neatly on a frying pan, with the skin side down. Start with a low temperature and slowly build up the heat so the duck fat renders and caramelize. Continue searing them for around six to eight minutes. After that, glaze them with your honey mixture and continue cooking until they are golden brown.
Step 5: Serve the Duck Breasts With the Apple Sauce
Before serving, leave the duck breasts to rest for around five minutes. Slice them in slightly thick pieces, to avoid them from cooling down easily. Then, transfer the duck slices into a plate and garnish them with coriander leaves. If you want, you can also use other types of herbs as garnish. Serve the duck slices with the apple sauce.
Cooking Duck Meats for Your Meal Plans
According to the CyTA Journal of Food, ducks are the third most commonly produced meat globally. This is not a surprising fact, because duck meat and even duck eggs are delicious and very nutritious.
It is also a great substitute for pork and beef because it does not contain marbled fat throughout the muscles. And since duck is considered a red meat, it contains more iron than other types of poultry.
Duck meats are also versatile. You can use it to cook a wide array of dishes, from a simple roasted whole duck to a more complicated pan-seared duck with lots of sauces. The possibilities are endless, so you can get creative with this type of meat.
On the other hand, according to Livestrong, duck fat is also a healthier alternative to pork fat and butter. It is comparable to olive oil because it is also low in saturated fat. And since duck fat is full of flavor, you can use it to grease pans, fry potatoes, and eggs, and make sauces. You can even use it as a substitute for bread shortening when baking.
Want to virtually witness how Gordon Ramsay makes the perfect pan-seared duck breasts? Watch this official video below from Gordon’s official YouTube channel:
Duck breast recipes are indeed very easy to cook, and not to mention, highly nutritious. If you are looking for another source of protein for your meal plans, you can try cooking pan-seared duck breasts. And, it also wouldn’t hurt to try out mixing duck meat with different types of sauces, too.
Have you ever tried pan-searing duck breasts? What sauce is your most favorite to serve duck meat with? Share your ideas in the comments below!
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