Sticky Duck with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce

Method

1 Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan) mark 6. With a sharp knife, trim away excess fat and sinew from each duck breast, then diagonally score the fat - but don't cut into the meat.

2 Put the duck breasts, skin side down, into a large frying pan over the lowest heat. Leave for 15-20min to allow the fat to run out. Pour off and reserve fat in a clean jar (see tip on next page).

3 When the skin of the duck is golden and most of the fat has melted away, put the duck breasts, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Brush with 1½tbsp jam. Cook in the oven for 15min if you like it pink or 20min for well done.

4 Make the Sour Cherry Sauce by mixing together the remaining jam, the vinegar and stock. Simmer gently for 10min. Check the seasoning, then blitz with a hand blender or whiz in a blender until the mixture is smooth.

5 Take the duck breasts out of the oven, put on a board, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5min. Pour any juice that seeps out of the duck into the sauce, then stir in the oregano. Slice the duck breasts thickly and serve with the sauce, the potatoes and the spiced leeks and carrots (see recipes, right).

Get ahead
Prepare the duck to the end of step 2. Cool, then cover and chill for up to a day. Bring up to room temperature, then complete recipe. Make the sauce up to a day ahead, omitting the oregano. To serve, warm through and complete recipe.

 

Cook's tip
Store the leftover fat from the duck in an airtight container in the fridge and use when you make roast potatoes another time. The fat will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge