Lord Stanley’s Roasted Duck With Spring Onions, Dandelion Greens & Madeira Jus
Serves 2
This recipe, adapted from Lord Stanley’s Rupert and Carrie Blease, pairs seared duck breasts with spring onions and dandelion greens. Charring the onions and greens in a grill pan adds a lovely smoky note to the dish. The Madeira jus, which is the most labor-intensive step here, can be made a day ahead. At the restaurant, the Bleases use duck bones for the jus, but we used chicken bones, which are more readily available.
Madeira jus
2 pounds chicken bones 1 quart dry, unoaked white wine Canola oil as needed 8 ounces sliced shallots 8 ounces sliced button mushrooms 1 clove garlic 1 sprig thyme 2 quarts chicken broth 4 ounces Madeira Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
Duck and vegetables
Canola oil as needed ¼ cup sunflower seeds 4 large spring onions, trimmed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed Lemon juice and lemon zest, to taste ½ bunch dandelion greens, about 3 ounces, trimmed at the base 2 duck breasts, sinew removed Cilantro sprigs to garnish To make the Madeira jus: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Roast the chicken bones on a baking sheet until browned, about 30 minutes.
Bring the wine to a boil in a large sauce pan over high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan, over medium-high heat and add the shallots, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook until well caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add the bones and chicken broth to the pot and cook at a steady simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Strain the liquid into a large sauce pan and discard the solids.
Add the reduced white wine to the reduced broth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and continue to reduce the liquid until it has thickened to a sauce-like consistency, about 20 minutes. Stir and taste frequently so it doesn’t become too thick or salty.
Add the Madeira and bring to a final boil. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Keep warm. To make the duck and vegetables: Reduce the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the sunflower seeds and toast until golden brown. Transfer the seeds to a paper towel-lined plate.
Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Toss the onions with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the onions on the hot grill pan and cook, rotating regularly, until soft and charred, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the onions to a plate and season to taste with lemon juice and zest.
Keep the grill pan hot. Toss the dandelion greens with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the greens until soft and slightly charred, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with more lemon juice and zest, and transfer to the same plate as the onions. Keep warm.
Score the fat of each duck breast with a very sharp knife, every ¼-inch, making sure not to cut into the flesh. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a medium oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat; when very hot, place the duck breasts, fat side down on the pan. (The duck breasts will render their own fat as they cook.) Cook on the fat side until a deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and quickly sear flesh side of the duck breasts for 30 seconds, then transfer to the oven to finish cooking. Remove the duck breasts when they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees for medium-rare. (Timing will vary depending on the size of the duck breasts.) Let the duck breasts rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
To serve: Divide the spring onions and dandelion greens between two plates. Place a sliced duck breast on each plate and generously spoon the jus over the meat and vegetables. Garnish with the sunflower seeds and cilantro.