Duck breast salad with asparagus, sweet potato, pickled fennel and raspberry vinaigrette
This indulgent salad from Graham Campbell features a wonderful harmony of flavours. The robust flavour of the duck is beautifully balanced by the aniseed hit of the pickled fennel, while the sweetness of the potatoes are counteracted by a piquant raspberry vinaigrette. As a final flourish, the asparagus adds a nutty flavour as well as some vibrant green to the dish.
Ingredients
Gressingham duck breasts
Pickled fennel
- 1 bulb of fennel
- 100ml of white wine vinegar
- 50g of caster sugar
- 100ml of white wine
Salad
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 500g of mixed salad leaves, washed and dried
Raspberry vinaigrette
- 1 punnet of raspberries
- 50ml of raspberry vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 200ml of olive oil
- flaky sea salt
- pepper
Sweet potato
- 1 sweet potato
- olive oil
Method
1
First prepare the pickled fennel. Break down the layers of fennel and slice or shave as thinly as possible. Place in a heatproof bowl and set aside
2
Mix the white wine vinegar, caster sugar and white wine in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour directly over the sliced fennel. Leave to cool and refrigerate until needed
- 100ml of white wine vinegar
- 50g of caster sugar
- 100ml of white wine
3
Peel the sweet potato and cut into 2.5cm cubes. Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a good dash of olive oil. Gently fry until golden in colour
- 1 sweet potato
- olive oil
4
Transfer the sweet potato to a tray large enough to comfortably accommodate the duck breasts as well as the potato. Set aside
5
Remove the woody end of the asparagus and peel ¾ of the way up the spear. Blanch in a pot of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes until tender, strain and set aside
- 2 bunches of asparagus , peeled
6
Combine the raspberries, raspberry vinegar and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk gently, slowly pouring in the olive oil until thoroughly combined. Season to taste and set aside
- 1 punnet of raspberries
- 50ml of raspberry vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 200ml of olive oil
- flaky sea salt
- pepper
7
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4
8
Place a dry pan over a medium heat and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of salt. Lightly score the skin and place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in the pan
9
The fat will slowly render out of the skin. As it does so, remove with a spoon to allow the skin to crisp up nicely- this will take 4-6 minutes
10
Add the duck breasts to the tray with the sweet potato cubes. Cook in the oven for 5-6 minutes, then remove and allow to rest for a further 5-6 minutes before serving
11
Combine the salad leaves, asparagus and fennel in a large bowl and mix in some of the raspberry vinaigrette. Place the salad in the middle of each plate
- 500g of mixed salad leaves, washed and dried
12
Arrange the sweet potato around the plate with some raspberries. Slice the duck breast and fan out on top of the salad. Drizzle with some more vinaigrette, some flaky sea salt and serve immediately
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Duck breast salad with asparagus, sweet potato, pickled fennel and raspberry vinaigrette
