In this colourful duck recipe by Dominic Chapman, the sweetness of peas and freshness of lettuce intriguingly contrast with braised duck leg and delicious bacon. Onions, mint and thyme bring extra flavour to this beautiful dish.
To braise the duck legs, heat a little vegetable oil in the base of a large pan on a medium to high heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay, salt and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the duck legs and enough chicken stock to cover.
Bring the pan to the boil and reduce to a very gentle simmer. Place into the oven at 160˚C/gas mark 3 for 1-2 hours, or until the tender to touch. Allow to cool in the liquid. Once cool, remove the knuckle and trim the skin off the bottom of the drumstick. Place on to an oven tray, skin side down until required
3
To start the pea, lettuce and bacon garnish, place a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cut the baby gem lettuce in half and remove most of the root, making sure that the lettuce remains intact. Place the lettuce into the boiling water for 1 minute, remove and place into ice water
Increase the heat, add the butter and and small dash of water, stirring to emulsify in the pan. Add the lettuce and cook until just tender, but still green
20g of butter
6
Next, add the peas, spring onions and return the bacon back to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid, season to taste and add the fresh mint to finish
To finish this duck recipe, pre-heat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4 and place the duck legs in for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and the skin is crispy. Remove the duck from the oven, place on a bed of the hot peas, lettuce and bacon and serve immediately
