Monday, August 22, 2011

Duck Breasts w/ Panzanella


Happy Monday everybody! 

How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty relaxed, nothing new right? 

We had our first Fantasy Football draft of the season (we're in 3 leagues!) yesterday and I ended up with a pretty solid team.  I'm just so happy that #1.  NFL Football is actually happening this year. & #2. That the season is actually here!  Sundays = Football in our house!  And I can't help but laugh when I think about when I first met Andy, he didn't like any sports whatsoever.  I guess we do rub off on eachother.

Anyway...

I usually don't post something I've made right away.  I usually wait a day or two most of the time.  I've just got tons of things in my Lightroom gallery that it's hard picking what to do next.  However, we had this for dinner last night, and it was so amazing that I couldn't wait to share it.  Seriously, if you like duck (it's probably my favorite protein) and want something special and elegant - this is it.  Trust me.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe


2 boneless duck breasts
4 ears of corn
2 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
15 asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 slices of bacon, chopped
5 slices of bread (we used a local bakery's Cereal Loaf), cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

I'm so glad I decided to buy a whole duck instead of just the breasts.  It's a lot cheaper, plus I have the rest of the duck to use to make a confit (which is actually in the works as we speak! The house smells so good right now!).

Food & Wine recommends aging the breasts for 4 days - but I didn't have 4 days.  So I quickly aged the duck breasts for about 2 hours.  Just place the duck breasts in a glass dish, skin side up.  Season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 7 days.

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line up corn, asparagus, and potatoes on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, stirring occasionally.  You'll want to flip around your corn every once in a while too.  Let vegetables cool slightly, then cut off kernels from corn cob.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large cast iron skillet under medium heat and add bacon.  Cook until bacon is crisp, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Add the bread cubes to the bacon fat (this was genius!) and coat well.  Transfer skillet to the oven (on a rack underneath the vegetables) and bake until crisp, about 13-15 minutes.  Season croutons with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden and crisp - about 12-14 minutes.  Turn duck over and cook until medium-rare (if you're not comfortable with that, cook it a little longer) about 4-6 minutes. 

Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice thinly.

While the duck is resting, you can prepare your panzanella.  In a large bowl, combine the corn, potatoes, asparagus, bacon, croutons, tomatoes, scallions, and oregano.  Toss well. 

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Season dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables and croutons in bowl.  Toss to mix well.

Divide the panzanella among plates and top with slices of duck. 


Seriously, this was absolutely amazing.  I think it took Andy all of 5 minutes to clear his plate.  He said it was so good he couldn't help but keep shoving it in his mouth.  Me, I took it slow.  So I could enjoy every bite because it was really the perfect meal! 

Have a great Monday guys!

38 comments:

  1. I love duck and this looks awesome! Thanks for sharing. I have never actually made duck (only had it out), but this definitely looks worth making!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks fantastic!!!! Yum! Can get the kiddos in on this one :) I'm late with FF! Oops!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are forever surprising me Peggy; does Andy know what a lucky guy he is? I tried to roast a whole duck many years ago and it was a total greasy disaster. I am really tempted to try your method; sure looks perfect. Please share the recipe for your confit.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful photos. I love duck but to my surprise have not had it in a really long time. I also never aged a duck, I guess I should get all my ducks in order soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't eat duck--but ooh la la, fancy :D And I'm doing fantasy football for the first time ever, I have a feeling it's going to be a disaster :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. fancy! I've never actually eaten duck, but I hear its tasty and your food looks really yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That duck looks fabulous! For some reason making duck has always scared me....

    Kuddos!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks gorgous- can't wait to read about the confit. If there's fat left from the confit- maybe next time you could use some of that for the panzanella too? Duck fat. The stuff of the gods.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Spectacular dish! My mother would LOVE this :)

    I too am happy that football season has started, its just I follow the other type of football. Go Bayern Munich!

    Buzzed :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. duck is always a good idea. i can't get enough of the little quackers! this is everything i love to eat - just needs some vino!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ooh, duck breast sounds delicious for lunch right now!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This looks super delish! I;ve never had duck before but it sounds amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love how the duck is still a bit pink on the inside! Will you post the recipe for duck confit as well?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Panzanella is one of my favourite things to make with the ripe, flavourful tomatoes that are in season right now.
    Love the idea of improving on the classic with a crispy-skinned duck breast. You can never go wrong with duck! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Peggy, this duck breast looks fabulous...honestly I never cooked duck, but would love to try one day.
    Hope you have a wonderful week ahead :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've never prepared duck. Now that I think of it, other than lack of availability, I'm not sure why. This does look like an amazing meal though.

    I have been trying to convince Handsome that we should learn to watch a sport so we could get all into it and what not... So far, I'm not winning. But it does sound like a lot of fun!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am not sure if I have ever had duck before or not. But it looks good! I am a huge fan of Panzanella though - that is goes well with any meal!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I heart duck. Duck was all you had to say and I was here. Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This looks like a restaurant main to me! Very impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the plating, Peggy! I like how you put panzanella to accompany the duck. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wish I had dinner at your house, it all looks delicious.


    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

    ReplyDelete
  22. Beautiful job plating this dish!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Can't believe it's fall already! What a beautiful presentation - love duck.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This looks wonderful. I've never tried duck, but every other ingredient in this dish would be on my favorites list!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lovely presentation, I loves duck meat too.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh. My. Duck Breast AND Panzanella? Two of my all-time favorites! Delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Have missed out on many a wonderful posts of your..meandering to find out what you cooked!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Your presentation is so beautiful and makes this look so appetizing. I have never tried duck but would really love to especially with a recipe review like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Duck - hoot! hoot! Another one of those I will die, lovely and yummy, will go for the duck meat alone even without the rest.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a gorgeous meal. I Love duck but I rarely eat it. What a special treat.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Mmmm, we love duck so much and we just can't get our hands on any in this area of Turkey. I can almost taste yours from this page, though! :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. This is great! I love duck, and am fortunate to have a few duck hunting friends that like to share. If you get a chance for wild duck, go for it. Each breed is a little different, so take note of what you are eating.

    ReplyDelete
  33. OOooooh duck! That's impressive! It sounds really good...the presentation is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  34. That is a really nice and elegant dish looks like serving from the restaurant.

    ReplyDelete
  35. this looks glorious, I've never made duck breasts, only confit, but I might give it a go now :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. The duck looks amazing!! ;)
    even I don't eat duck - this is tempting me! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  37. I knew that this deliciousness was going to make top 9...congrats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. My husband would love this - I can't wait to make it for him. Congrats on making Top 9 today!!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails