Nostalgia-Inducing Duck à l’Orange

Cut the potatoes into quarters and cook in your boiling water for 10 mins or until cooked, then drain and put to the side with a lid on. Tip: The potatoes are cooked when you can easily slip a knife through them.

Segment the orange by cutting off the top and bottom. Cut off the remaining skin and pith (following the shape of the orange). Finally, over a bowl cut out the segments of fruit by cutting in between the membranes. Squeeze what’s left of the orange to collect as much juice as possible.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Chop the spring onion into thin discs and separate the white parts from the green. Cut the chicory in half lengthways. Bash the cooked potatoes with a masher or a fork, add the whites of the spring onions along with ¼ tsp of salt, a grind of pepper and 1 tbsp of butter (if you have some) or olive oil. Put the lid on again and set aside.

Lay the duck breasts in a cold frying pan skin-side down. 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 5 mins on the top shelf of your oven.

Use the same pan in which you fried the duck and remove all but 1 tbsp of the excess fat. Lay your chicory in, flat-side down and cook on high for 5 mins until golden. Add 1 tsp of sugar (if you have some) and cook for 1 minute to caramelise. Add 250ml water to your pan with half the stock pot, bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 5-8 mins until soft.

Remove the chicory and add the orange juice into the pan along with the star anise and allow this to reduce down over a medium heat for 1-2 mins. Mix the cornflour with 1 tsp of water and add to the sauce along with the orange segments. Cook for a further minute.