SEARED MOULARD BREAST a la D'ARTAGNON

By BobD

Ingredients

• 8 SERVINGS
• Seared Breast of Moulard Duck a la D’Artagnan
• • 2 of whole boneless Moulard duck breasts, about 4 pounds, excess fat removed, skin and fat scored diagonally into small squares, patted dry
• • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• • 2 shallots, minced
• • 3 (5-ounce) glasses Madiran wine
• • 2 tablespoons duck and veal demi-glace
• • 5 ounces heavy cream

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from dartagnan.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Prepare Potato Galette.

2. Season both sides of duck breasts with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 2 heavy skillets until medium hot, over medium-high heat. Put duck breasts in pans, skin side down, without any butter or fat. Cook for 8 minutes, checking to avoid burning. Remove fat as it accumulates. Flip breasts over, lower heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes longer. Remove duck from heat and keep warm in one of the skillets.

4. Discard almost all of the fat and any burned particles from the other skillet. Still at medium heat, add shallots, and when they become translucent but not yet brown, about 1 minute, pour in 2 glasses (1 ¼ cups) of the wine. Raise heat to high, reduce liquid by half. Add demi-glace and again reduce by half. Pour in cream, but do not move the pan or stir the liquid. When the cream has blended itself into the sauce, it is ready.

5. Cut duck breasts in half, then cut them across the grain into ½-inch slices. Divide the slices among 8 warmed plates, placing them in a fan shape. Pour sauce over the duck, add a slice of Potato Galette, and serve at once.

Potato Galette
Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/16-inch slices
• 1 medium-small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons rendered duck fat
• 1 small black truffle, shaved paper thin (optional)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

1. Blot potatoes dry on paper towels. Combine in a large bowl with onions and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, and mix well.

2. Heat fan until hot in a 10-inch nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, shaking the pan and turning them to cover evenly with fat. Once a few slices begin to brown, press potatoes with a spatula to flatten into a disk. Adjust heat to medium low, cover tightly, and cook until several slices are golden brown on the bottom, about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully lift cover so condensation does not fall on potatoes, and wipe it dry. Mix cooked slices into other potatoes, and then add shaved truffles, if desired. Replace cover, and cook until bottom of galette is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Shake pan to loosen if potatoes are stuck.

3. Slide galette onto a plate, cover with a second plate of the same size, invert, then slide galtete back into pan. Do not worry if some slices need rearranging. Flatten potatoes again, and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes longer, removing lid after 5 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, turning heat up slightly if needed to color potatoes. Turn galette again, if necessary, and cook uncovered for a few minutes longer, or until golden brown. Galette may be loosely tented with aluminum foil and kept warm in the oven or on top of the stove. Slide galette onto a flat plane. Season with salt and pepper. Combine parsley with garlic, and sprinkle over potatoes. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.


Note: Slicing potatoes into 1/16-inch slices is easily done with a food processor using a 2 x 2-mm slicing blade.