Mike Van de Elzen: Red wine braised duck with Jerusalem artichoke purée

Red wine braised duck with Jerusalem artichoke purée (serves 4) 

2 duck breasts, skin on 

2 brown onions, sliced 

6 cloves garlic, smashed 

350ml rich red wine 

400gm can whole peeled tomatoes 

Small bunch fresh thyme 

4 cups Jerusalem artichokes, washed and roughly chopped 

1 cup milk 

Water to cover 

2 tbsp butter 

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley 

50gm good parmesan 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat oven to 180*C. Score skin of duck breasts with a crisscross pattern. 

Season both sides of duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan over med-high heat. Place duck (skin side down) cook until the skin starts to golden. Remove breasts from pan and tip half the fat into a jar or bowl. 

In the remaining fat, sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add red wine, tomatoes and thyme, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the duck breasts back into the pan, season well with salt and pepper. Place into the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. 

While the duck is cooking, prepare the purée. Place the artichoke in a medium sized saucepan with milk and just cover with water along with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the artichoke are tender. 

Drain artichokes from pot, reserving the cooking liquid. Return artichokes to empty pot and mash with 2 tbsp butter. Gradually beat in the reserved cooking liquid until you’ve reached a smooth whip. Season to taste. 

After 30 minutes, remove duck from oven, lightly cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

TO SERVE: Spoon purée onto warmed serving plates, slice the duck and serve over the top of the puree. Spoon over a generous amount of the red wine sauce, chopped Italian parsley and some shaved parmesan. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.