Ingredients

Method

• 4 smoked organic duck breasts, skin-side scored
• For the blueberry-Verjuice sauce
• 1/3 cup verjuice
• 1 cup duck, veal or chicken stock
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly grated white pepper, to taste
For the sweet-potato rosti
• 300 g sweet potato, peeled, grated and drained of excess liquid
• 3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
For the carrots
• 12 young organic carrots, rinsed but not peeled
• 2 T olive oil
• sea salt, to taste
For the chard and sugar snap peas
• 2 T olive oil
• 300 g chard, cleaned and destemmed
• 170 g sugar snap peas
• 1 T butter
• sea salt, to taste

Method

Ingredients

To make the blueberry-Verjuice sauce: Place 175ml (½ cup) blueberries and the Verjuice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the liquid has reduced and the blueberries begin to pop, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the stock, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking until reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain, season and set aside.

To make the sweet-potato rosti: Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Combine the grated sweet potato and ginger, and season to taste. Add the olive oil to the pan. Form the sweet potato mixture into four patties and transfer to the pan. After 3 to 4 minutes check to see if the rostis are browned and, if so, flip them. Dot the butter in small pieces around the rostis and continue frying until browned. Remove from the pan, drain on absorbent paper and keep warm.

To make the carrots: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Toss the carrots with the olive oil and season to taste. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until just tender.

To make the chard and sugar snap peas: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Just before the pan is smoking hot, add the chard and sugar snap peas, butter and seasoning. Quickly stir-fry until the chard is just wilted and the sugar snap peas begin to turn bright green.

To prepare the duck: Heat a nonstick pan until smoking hot. Place the duck skin-side down in the pan and sear until browned and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan, place on a baking tray and roast for a further 5 minutes in the oven.
Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting each breast into 3 to 4 slices.

To serve: Place a rosti each on four plates and divide the vegetables among them, placing the vegetables just to the side of the rosti. Rest the slices of duck breast against the vegetables. Warm the sauce with the reserved blueberries, spoon over the duck and drizzle around the plate.

Cook’s tip: Smoked organic duck breast is available from specialty butchers or gourmet food shops.