What are you making for Christmas dinner this year? Duck is one of the traditional Christmas dishes. So why not making a duck? And you don’t need the whole “bird” to make your festive table look fabulous and to impress your family and friends. Roasted duck breasts will make a great impression as well. Moreover, when served with some great side dishes will make it a dinner to remember.
Roasted duck breasts are quick and easy to prepare. The duck has less chance to dry out because it is a little bit fattier than other poultry. However, I will show you how to “melt” most of the fat and still keep it juicy. And here comes a quick tip: You can store the melted duck fat for the next time you roast some potatoes. It will give a great flavour.
I wanted to make this dinner a little bit nostalgic and rustic. Therefore, I decided for crispy potato wedges and some sweet red cabbage with apple next to it. They are a perfect company for the duck. Because the duck breasts are quite big, you don’t need to go big on the side dishes. Besides that, we need to save some space for other Christmas snacks and dessert, right? What is your idea for the perfect Christmas dinner?
Ingredients for two portions of roasted duck breasts:
- 3 medium potatoes
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- rosemary
- ¼ of red cabbage head
- 1 apple
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 duck breasts
First, preheat the oven to 200º C. Second, start with potatoes, as they take the longest to be ready. Wash the potatoes, cut them into wedges and place them in a baking tray. Drizzle them with some oil and sprinkle with salt. Add a spring or two of rosemary and put in the oven for about 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Third, clean the cabbage and keep only one-quarter of it. You can make some other easy and quick cabbage recipes in the following days. Cut the cabbage into thin slices and then cut into smaller pieces. Wash and cut the apple into smaller cubes.
Drizzle some olive oil in a pot and once it gets hot, add half of the apples and all of the cabbage. Pour in 100 ml water, season well, squeeze a lemon, cover and cook on medium heat until soft. Once it becomes soft, add the rest of the apples and honey and cook for an additional five minutes or until 2/3 of the liquid evaporates.
Last but not least, roast the duck breasts. Prepare a pan and season the duck breasts on both sides. Turn on the stove and place the duck breasts (skin down) in the pan when it is still cold. No oil is needed. Starting with a cold pan will help the fat to melt instead of sealing under the skin. Keep the duck (skin down) in the pan until crispy and golden brown.
Then remove the fat from the pan (store it in a glass if you want), flip the duck and brown it until sealed well. Next, transfer the duck breasts (skin down) to the oven. In case you don’t have an ovenproof pan, use a hot baking tray (keep it in the warm oven to keep it hot). Move the potatoes to the bottom of the oven and place the duck breasts on the middle rack (you can also brush them with some honey) and roast for 8-10 minutes.
Roasting the duck might be tricky. How to know when it’s ready? Do the check with pressing it with your finger. If it feels resistant but it still bounces back, then it is ready.
Make sure your friends will not forget this dinner. Surprise them with roasted duck breasts, crispy potato wedges and honey-cabbage with apple. This meal will bring back old memories and new smiles.
Merry Christmas!
