Duck salad

Ingredients

Serves 2 very hungry people or 4 moderately hungry people

For the duck:

1 duck breast

salt

1 garlic clove

a fresh sprig of rosemary

For the salad:

1 feuille de chene (oak leaf?) head of lettuce or mache (lamb's lettuce)

1 red pepper

a handful of cherry tomatoes

a handful of walnut halves

a handful of dried figs

a cup of potatoes

a cup of duck fat (for deep frying potatoes)

a cup of gratons de canard (duck crackling, cut into cubes)

foie gras cru/mi-cuit

2 eggs

For the dressing:

olive oil

Dijon mustard

a squeeze of lemon juice

a pinch of salt

Method

Prepare the duck:

With a sharp knife, slice through the skin of the duck breast from one end to the other, then come back at a different angle, making a criss-crossed pattern.

Rub the skin lightly with the whole garlic clove, rub in a bit of salt and sprinkle with fresh rosemary leaves, pressing them into the 'cracks'.

Gently pan-fry, skin side down first, turn when the skin is done and continue cooking until it's cooked to your liking (don't overcook it, try to keep it nice and pink inside).

When cooked, set duck aside on a chopping board until it cools slightly, while you prepare the salad.

Prepare the potatoes and gratons de canard:

Dice and deep fry the potatoes in duckfat until crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. Set aside on kitchen towel paper to drain and cool.

Deep fry the gratons de canard for a couple of minutes to crisp them up. Remove, drain on kitchen towel paper and let cool.

Prepare other ingredients

Slice red peppers

Gently crush walnut halves

Quarter cherry tomatoes

Dice dried figs

Poach two eggs (soft boiled also works, but then you have to be careful when opening the egg and removing the white, so that you get a nice runny yolk in the middle of your salad)

Prepare the dressing

In a bowl, add two teaspoons of mustard, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir well

Gradually add olive oil, stirring continuosly. Add until it has a nice smooth emulsion and the flavour suits you

Final preparation:

On each plate, spread out a small heap of lettuce

Sprinkle walnuts and figs on top of the lettuce

Arrange slices of red pepper and quartered cherry tomatoes in a circle on top of the lettuce

Drizzle some dressing over the salad

Sprinkle diced potatoes on top of the salad

Slice the foie gras and duck, and arrange slices in a circle between each slice of red pepper

Place a poached egg in the middle of the circle, on top of the salad

Bon appetit !

Suggestions

Serve with crusty bread and a glass of red wine

Photo of Narelle's duck salad.