Mediterranean Duck Breast Recipe 

Duck Breast Recipe with Mediterranean Red Wine and Black Cherry sauce and Crispy Duck Skin Crackling

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• 1 Large duck breast - 1-1/2lb./650g. or 2 x 325g. - skin on.

• 1/2 a medium onion - sliced.
• 1 clove of garlic - chopped.
  
• 2 tbsps of good quality black cherry jam.
• 1 Glass of red wine - 125ml. and the same of duck or chicken stock.
• 1 piece of star anise.
• Olive oil to fry.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• 1 lb./450g. of sweet potato peeled and cubed.
• 1 Head of brocolli  - in floretts.

1. OK - remove the skin from your duck breast, sprinkle with a little salt and roast in a medium oven for about 20-30 minutes - we normally put it on a baking tray, put another baking tray on top and weigh it down with an earthenware dish. This stops the skin curling and keeps it flat. The skin will be rigid and crispy when it comes out.
2. Cut the duck crackling into wafers and keep them warm.
3. A lot of fat will come out of the skin, so pour it into a good non-stick pan, with a metal handle, on a medium heat. 
4. Brown the duck breast all over in the fat and then put the pan in the oven at 275ºf./140ºc. for 10 - 15 minutes until it is about medium rare. Longer if you want it well done. 
5. Meanwhile make the sauce and vegetables.
6. Fry off the onions in some olive oil and add the garlic and star anise.
   
7. Now add the stock, wine and cherry jam and reduce to the required consistency.
8. Pick out the star anise and bin it.
9. Boil the sweet potato in lightly salted water until tender - then drain and mash with a little butter.
10. Bring the brocolli to the boil in lightly salted water and as soon as it starts to boil - take it off the heat and let it sit for five minutes. Then drain and refresh with cold water.
11. Right - spoon some of the sauce onto two warm dinner plates - slice the duck breast and arrange on the plates.
12. Put a scoop of mash on one side and poke two of your crackling wafers into each one.
13. Finally - reheat the brocolli floretts in the microwave  and arrange them artistically on the plates.
14. Serve and enjoy.

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