This warming, slow roasting dish is bursting with flavour, and a veritable rainbow of amazing colours, coming from the rich sauce, sweet glazed fruit, earthy sweet potato and zingy vibrant peas – all of which are a great match for the meaty duck. You will definitely find yourself gnawing like a barbarian at the leg bones on this recipe. Duck legs are pretty cheap, full of deep flavours and rich fat, and perfect for cooking several at a time. Any left over fruit can be kept in the fridge and is awesome with cold meats and strong cheese. Timing is everything with this recipe and there are quite a few processes to juggle/remember to do at the right time, but if you’re organised, and careful, there is nothing thats actually too technically difficult in there. So go get stuck in with this great, hearty, colourful dish –

INGREDIENTS

For the duck breast with plums + apricots

• 2 good quality duck legs
• 5 tsp fresh rosemary sprigs
• 3 tsp chopped lemon thyme
• 3 tsp freshly ground ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 4 purple plums, halved, stones removed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• can of apricot halves in juice, drained
• 5 tbsp caster sugar
• 500 ml red wine
• 300ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves of garlic – 2 roughly chopped
• 2 tsp plain flour

For the Mustard Apricot Glaze

• 1 & 2/3 cups lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp english mustard/50g mustard powder
• 4 star anise
• 3 sprigs lemon thyme

For the crushed minted peas:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
• 1 pound (500 grams) frozen peas
• 2 large knobs butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fondant Sweet Potatoes:

• 2 Sweet potatoes
• cold water
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 rosemary sprigs, fresh
• 1l chicken stock

Preparation Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5. Season the duck legs all over with salt, pepper, chopped garlic and the rosemary sprigs and brown in a hot pan on both sides. Set aside.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice off pointed ends to create flat bases. Slice in half so you have 4 total pieces. Make as even to each other as possible in terms of height and width – around 3cm wide by 6cm tall. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 10 minutes and place on paper towels. Pat dry.
3. Heat vegetable oil in the same pan on the stove. When the oil begins to shimmer and move in the pan, add the potatoes, prettiest side down. Cook for 4 minutes and season the top with salt and pepper.
4. Turn the potatoes over and cook the other side for 4 minutes or until browned and slightly crisp. Season this side with salt and pepper as well.
5. Use tongs and a paper towel to blot out the remaining oil and add butter and rosemary sprigs to the pan. When the butter melts and begins to brown, use tongs and brush rosemary over all of the potatoes. Transfer your potatoes, butter and herbs to a shallow pyrex oven dish.
6. Pour in the chicken stock, so that it almost covers the potatoes and place in the oven. You will need to cook them for roughly 60-70 minutes or until the a knife can pierce the entire potato.
7. Add the HALF the red wine to the pan on the stove (the same one used for the potatoes and browning the duck) and simmer until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, more rosemary, 2 garlic cloves and the red onion peeled and quartered and a 1 tbsp of sugar .
8. Return the duck legs to the pan, skin-side up. Drizzle the honey on top liberally. Place the oven-proof pan into the oven and cover with tin foil. This will cook in the oven for one hour or until the meat is tender.
9. Meanwhile, for the Mustard Apricot Glaze, make a thin syrup of the lemon juice, ½ cup of water, and the sugar, and whisk in the mustard. In the same saucepan place the fruit, star anise, lemon thyme and bring to the boil and then simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the fruit from the heat and put it in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the apricots. Cover and set aside to soak.
10. Place the plums on a baking sheet. Mix the chopped lemon thyme, black pepper and salt with the olive oil and sugar until well combined, then gently rub the mixture over the plums.
11. After an hour and when the duck is cooked remove it from the oven and set aside, still covered in the foil, and leave to stand. Turn the oven temp down to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas mark 3. Spread the apricots and plums in a shallow ovenproof dish, and bake in the oven for the 20 minutes until lightly caramelised.
12. Meanwhile transfer the peas to a medium saucepan and stir in the olive oil and herbs, plenty of salt and a pinch of pepper.
13. Cook the crushed peas on a medium heat with the lid on for 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and correct the seasoning if you need to.
14. Crush the peas roughly in a food processor or with a masher. Do not purée them, as it is important to retain much of the texture.
15. Remove the duck leg from the pan and place on a plate, and cover in foil. Place the pan with the remaining sauce on the hob at a medium heat. Add 3 tbsp of the juice from the apricot can, 3 tbsp of caster sugar, and the rest of the red wine – then scatter in 2 tsp of plain flour. Stir, leave to simmer and reduce for a few minutes until you have a thick gravy like sauce.
16. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and remove from the stock. Mix half cup of the stock into the sauce reducing on the hob.
17. Remove the apricots and plums from the oven and set aside.
18. To serve, spoon the peas on to four serving plates arrange on the plate alongside the duck leg – place two roasted plum halves and one of the apricots on each plate, and then the fondant sweet potatoes by the duck. Strain the pan reduction and drizzle a very SMALL amount onto the duck (it will be quite salty and strong – so not too much).

MUSIC I COOKED TO: