A Surprisingly Simple Roasted Duck

Finely dice the red chilli (we used 1 tbsp for a warm little kick). Peel and very, very finely dice the carrot (5mm cubes if your skills allow!). Peel and de-core the apple before chopping into 1cm cubes. Peel and finely dice 1½ tbsp of shallot.

Melt 1 tbsp of butter (if you have some) in a non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat. Tip: If you don’t have any butter, use ½ tbsp of olive oil. Toss in the apple, 1 tsp of sugar (if you have it) and 3 tbsp of water and place a lid on the pan. Allow to cook for 10 mins until the apple has softened up. Tip: Remove the lid to thicken the apple sauce in the last few mins.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Gently fry the shallot, carrot and chilli for 5 mins. Drain and thoroughly rinse the lentils before adding to the pan. We promise this is the last pan you’ll use!

After one minute, turn the heat off from the lentils. Taste the lentils and add a little more salt and pepper to lift the flavour if needed. Cover with a lid and leave until it’s time to serve.

Once the duck is cooked, take it from the oven and leave it to rest for 3 mins. Tip: We like our duck slightly pink in the middle but you can cook it through if you like. Tip: Leaving meat to rest on a warm plate allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, leaving every mouthful nice and juicy.

Pour any excess fat from the duck pan and place on high heat. Once hot, add all of the spinach and cook for around 90 seconds, until just wilted.