When we first started HelloFresh, we used to get all sorts of emails from people saying that they were ‘scared’ of fish. Whether Steven Spielberg related, or something to do with it welding to their frying pan, we soon knocked their phobia into touch with a few easy recipes. Next on our scary-food-hitlist is duck - far more simple than you might believe! Our tip here is to leave the duck out of the fridge for 30 mins before you cook it, so it cooks evenly.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
2
Duck Breasts
1
Red Chilli
1
Carrot
1
Cox's Apple
1
Echalion Shallot
½
Sliced Spring Greens
1
Organic Lentils
½
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
3
Flat Leaf Parsley
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and season the duck with salt and pepper. Cut three slices across the duck skin with a sharp knife and lay in a cold griddle pan skin-side down ( just use a frying pan if you don’t have a griddle pan). Cook on medium-low heat for about 8 mins or until the fat is crisp and golden. Transfer to a baking dish skin-side up and cook for 10-15 mins on the top shelf of the oven.
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 core the apple before chopping into 1cm cubes. Peel and finely dice your shallot. Cut your spring green leaves into roughly 1cm slices, discard the tough root.
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. When the 10 mins are up, take the pan off the heat.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Gently fry the chilli, carrot and shallot for 5 mins. Drain and thoroughly rinse the lentils before adding to the pan, together with half the stock pot and 75ml of water.
After 3 mins, take the lentils off the heat. 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 into a frying pan and place on high heat. Once hot, add the spring greens along with 1/4 tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper. Fry for 3-4 mins.
Finely chop your parsley and stir it through the lentils. Serve the duck on top of the lentils with a healthy dollop of your caramelised apples. Serve with spring greens and savour!