Pan-fried duck breast with Parmesan gnocchi, savoy cabbage and black pudding

Serves 6

For the gnocchi

— 4 Albert Bartlett Rooster baking potatoes

— 100g Parmesan

— 2 eggs

— 75g ‘00’ pasta flour

— dash of oil, for pan-frying

For the shallot and cabbage

— a couple of dashes of oil

— 3 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways

— 1 small savoy cabbage

— knob of butter

— 50ml white wine

— 1 garlic clove, crushed to a purée

For the duck and black pudding

— 3 large duck breasts (weighing approximately 250g each)

— 300g black pudding, crumbled

— oil, for deep-frying

— flour, for dusting

— 3 eggs, beaten

— panko breadcrumbs, for coating

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3.

To make the gnocchi, place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 30-45 minutes, until cooked, as you would for jacket potatoes. Scoop out the flesh (you need about 400g) and pass it through a potato ricer or fine strainer. Add this to a bowl with the Parmesan, eggs and flour, and season to taste (remember the Parmesan will be quite salty). Mix thoroughly until you have a dough-like consistency.

Turn the oven temperature up to 180C/gas mark 4.

Roll portions of the mixture into sausage shapes with about the same diameter as a pound coin, then cut these into lozenges 3-4cm long. Place on a tray and leave in the fridge to chill.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and have a bowl of iced water to hand. Add the gnocchi in batches to the boiling water and blanch them until they float to the surface (a couple of minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into iced water, then strain and leave to one side.

Heat a little oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and season it with a little salt. Add the shallots cut-side down and cook for 2-3 minutes, until caramelised. Place in the oven for 4-6 minutes, until the shallot halves are cooked through. Set aside.

Quarter the cabbage and remove the stalk. Slice the cabbage thinly then sauté in a pan with a dash of oil, butter and white wine. Add the garlic a few minutes in. Sauté until the liquid has cooked down and the cabbage is cooked and tender.

Score the duck breasts on the skin side and season them well. Heat a dry ovenproof frying pan and, when hot, add the breasts skin-side down and cook until the skin is caramelised and golden brown – 4-5 minutes. Flip the breasts over and finish them off in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for eight minutes.

For the black pudding, take 30g of the mixture and roll it into a ball, packing it together well. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C.

Roll each ball in flour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the panko breadcrumbs to coat. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes then set on kitchen paper to drain.

Pan-fry the gnocchi in a dash of oil until they have a light colour.

Slice each duck breast in half lengthways and serve with the gnocchi, cabbage, black-pudding balls and caramelised shallots.