This dish of Duck Breast, Potato Souffle and Pear Salad is a real Sunday meal – and ideal for any other gourmand day. It does take a little longer than the usual half an hour to put together, but it’s worth it and is still easy to make.

Recipe:

Shopping List for 4 portions

Duck Breast with Orange-Cranberry Sauce:

2 duck breast fillets
4-5 sprigs of thyme
1 bio-orange
2/3 cups cranberry compote
half a chili pepper
150 mL chicken stock
50 mL cream
1 tbs. butter
2 tsp. granulated sugar

Potato Souffle:

5 large potatoes
5 eggs
½ cup grated Gouda cheese
80 mL cream
¼ cup butter
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Pear Salad:

10 cups corn salad (also known as lamb’s lettuce)
1 pear
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tbs. white wine vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil

Preparation Time: approx. 1,5 hours

Directions for the Duck Breast with Potato Souffle and Pear Salad:

Potato Souffle: peel and wash the potatoes. Chop them small so they are soft faster. Boil on high heat roughly 20 minutes. Check them off and on with a fork to see if they are finished.

Drain the water off and add the eggs, cream, butter and grated cheese. Puree and add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Pour the potato mixture into your forms and place in oven. Wait to turn the oven on until your duck is also ready to be cooked. This way everything will be ready at the same time.

Duck Breast Fillets: wash the fillets and dry carefully. Cut small slits on the skin side of the duck approx. 1,5 cm apart. Season with salt and pepper and place, with the skin side down, in a pan. Heat the pan and add the sprigs of thyme. Fry briefly on both sides until they are brown.

Wait 5 minutes then place the duck, again skin side down, in a casserole dish, along with the thyme. Cover with aluminum foil and, along with the potato soufflé, cook for 20 minutes at 180 C.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce: pour most of the duck drippings from the pan then melt the butter in the pan. Peel off the orange peel and cut into small strips and add them, along with the sugar, to the pan. Add the juice from the orange and allow the mixture to caramelize.

While that’s happening, chop the half chili pepper in fine pieces and add to the pan. Add the chicken stock followed by the cranberry compote and cream.

Finally allow the sauce to simmer another 5 minutes.

Pear Salad: wash the corn salad and put in your serving bowl. Wash the pear and chop into pieces and add them to the lettuce.

For the dressing: mix the balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Your tasty winter dinner is ready!