Duck with butternut squash and hazelnuts

A simple and tasty treat

AS a chef I enjoy cooking duck and trying out new dishes because it is an ingredient that can be used in a lot of different ways, whether it is a plain roast whole duck or crispy duck served with pancake. Duck is underrated – it is easily one of the tastiest meats. By using both the breast and the legs you can do all sorts with it – for example, make tasty terrines and duck confit.

This duck recipe is one of my favourites because it’s one of the simplest dishes and one of the tastiest. It’s a great dish when you are entertaining and, better still, your guests will think you’ve been slaving over a hot stove for hours! 4 duck breasts 2 butternut squash 100g butter

½ pint double cream 1pkt spinach 30g butter pkt hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the butternut squash and cut in half, then take the long thin part and dice big, making sure they are all even sizes. Put to one side.

With the trimmings of the first half, put into a small pan. Cut the other half in half again and scoop out all the seeds and discard, then chop the remaining squash into a pot with the trimmings, adding a little butter. Fry it lightly with no colour then add a little water and cook for about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and put into a blender, blitz for a few seconds, then pass through a sieve back into the pan you originally used. Put the heat back on, then add a little double cream and season to your taste.

Cook the diced squash in boiling salted water for a few minutes, then refresh in iced salted water, and drain as soon as it’s cold.

Pick and wash the spinach then put to one side. Season the duck on both sides, heat a frying pan as hot as you can, then add the duck to the pan skin side down first, then turn over, getting a nice even colour on both sides. Pop back on skin side down and cook in the oven for about 8-12 minutes. Then take out and let the meat rest. When ready to serve, heat up in the frying pan for a few minutes.

Reheat the diced butternut in boiling salted water for a few minutes, then coat in butter. Heat a large pan with a little butter, season, add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until the spinach wilts.

Warm the puree, then add a nice spoonful onto one side of the plate and with the back of the spoon drag the puree to the other side. Put the spinach on the middle of the plate, placing the diced butternut squash around it. Slice the duck into angled pieces – keeping its shape – put on top of the spinach and sprinkle some hazelnuts around.

Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or Restaurant, 176 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 4RL Telephone 0141 248 3801 email: info@ brianmaule.com website: www.brianmaule.com Learn how to chill wine properly

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PHOTOGRAPH: ALAN DONALDSON