Flo: Lavender Roasted Duck and Perfect Pomme Puree

Lavender slow-roasted duck legs with a Red wine jus

Triple sieved pomme puree

Caramelised shallots, spinach and oyster mushrooms

When I want to cook a romantic, Frenchified dinner for 2 (or for a dinner party if you multiply up the quantities), this is my new fail-safe. It is classic and, aside from the lavender, not particularly unusual but it is virtuoso in the techniques you can display in it - perfect pomme puree, lavender infused red wine reduction, and a delicious combination of sweet, earthy and irony vegetables. Tried and tested a few times now, it really does deliver on flavour. If I was served this in a well reputed restaurant I would be really happy. 

Despite the slightly show off nature of this meal, it is pretty low risk (it takes a good while before duck legs become dry). Duck legs are also pretty cheap for dinner party food - around £1.75-£2 each. 

If you are planning on doing this meal for more than 2, I would recommend enlisting the help of a friend so you can give your pomme puree proper attention. It would make the preparation all the more enjoyable and you could each have a glass of the spare cooking wine while you do it.

I have made the recipe very precise with timings and colour coded recipe components because I think it is very important to feel in control when you are hosting. This way you will know if you slip behind and will have to settle for a twice sieved puree! 

For the Duck and Sauce

2 duck legs

1 tbsp dried lavender, if not, rosemary

2 tsp fennel seeds

1 star anise

6 cloves of garlic

200ml red wine

2 tbsp plum jam, redcurrant, quince or crab apple jelly… marmalade can work too. (less if you don’t like it too sweet)

Pomme Puree

350g mashing potato such as maris piper, scrubbed. 

100g butter, cut into cubes.

1 medium sized glass of milk

Caramelised Shallots, Oyster Mushrooms and Spinach

4 very small, round shallots
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sherry/wine/cider vinegar

8 pretty little oyster mushrooms

tspn butter

4 big handfuls of spinach

IN ADVANCE

Marinate the duck in the lavender, fennel seeds, anise, garlic, sliced lengthways, and enough of the wine to cover it. Cover and refrigerate overnight, for a day, or, if last minute 15 minutes will make a difference.

1 1/2 HOURS BEFORE SERVING:

Preheat the oven to 190c fan.

Once preheated (hopefully after 15mins), sprinkle chopped garlic and lavender on a foil lined baking tray and cover with the duck legs, having shaken off the wine into the marinating bowl. Sprinkle with salt.  Place in the oven for 1 hour – set a timer for 40 minutes - when the shallots need to go in too - and then set it again for the last 20 minutes. 

SAUCE: do this in 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour all the wine from the marinade along with the rest of the wine into a little saucepan. Add the jelly or jam, bring to a simmer and reduce for 5 minutes then strain and put aside.

POTATO PREP: 4 minutes

Start bringing a pan of water to the boil.

Make sure the potatoes are around 1inch x 1inch or less - cutting them up when necessary. 

Place them in the boiling water.

SHALLOTS: do this in 11 minutes 

Carefully peel the shallots to maintain their pretty little tufts.

In a saucepan Melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the shallots and fry whole for 3-4 minutes, taking off the heat every so often to ensure the butter doesn't burn. Add the honey and vinegar and fry for 3-4 more minutes on a very low heat until they have nicely browned. Pour out onto a foil lined baking dish to go into the oven later, when your timer goes off.Then set another timer for 20 minutes.

POTATOES REMAINING COOKING TIME: 5-10 minutes:

check the potatoes - they should be soft enough that you can poke a knife through them with no resistance. They will probably need 5-10 more minutes. 

POMME PUREE MASTERY: 25 minutes

Once soft enough, strain them and leave them to cool a bit. Once cool enough, peel them with your hands by rubbing the skin off. If this is too difficult you can use a knife to skin them instead.

Bring the milk to the boil carefully avoiding it boiling over and making a mess of your hob. Once the milk is boiling, turn off the heat and leave aside.

Remember to put the shallots in when the timer goes off, and to set another timer for 20 minutes (by which time the duck will have had an hour)

Return them to the dry pan and mash them up. Place over a very very low heat to warm up whilst stirring in the butter bit by bit. It should begin to form a doughy puree.

The puree will be very thick. Slowly stir in as much milk as it takes to bring it to the consistency that you like. I don’t like mine too liquidy myself so don’t use all the milk, but its good.Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once it is right, take it off the heat and push the potato through a sieve. I do it once when I’m feeling lazy but if you do it three times, as Joel Robuchon does, it really does make a difference. Proper high-end restaurant style pomme puree.

When you have sieved it, you can put it in a Pyrex bowl over boiling water and heat it up, stirring it every now and again.

velvety

BACK TO THE DUCK, OYSTER MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH: 10 minutes

The timer should now ring for a second time and the duck should have had 1 hour. Remove the duck from the oven and spoon off almost all the fat (save it for roast potatoes).

Pour the wine mixture around it and return to the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking and reduce the sauce.

In this ten minutes, quickly give your mash a stir and check it is getting hot.

Now, fry the mushrooms in butter, salt, and pepper briefly for 3 minutes. Carefully remove the mushrooms and put in the oven with the shallots.

Don't bother washing up your frying pan and add the spinach straight into it with a pinch of salt, stirring gently till it begins to wilt then turn the heat off cover with the lid.

SAUCE: 

After the last 10 minutes, take the duck out, put the legs on a plate and rest in the oven (that you have just switched off) for a few minutes.

Pour the sauce through a sieve into a little pot to reduce further if it is not thick enough. You want it to be liquidy but with a good viscosity – like a good old balsamic – not quite syrup though, since it thickens as it cools anyway.

FINAL TOUCHES: 

Serve by neatly forming a circle of potato in the centre of the plate and place the leg on top. Put the gravy in a gravy dish. I like to serve the sides in a pretty tea-cup with the spinach first and then the shallots and mushrooms. 

p.s. If you really want to show off, it looks more restauranty to trim the joints as I did the next time I made it. See this photograph of my rather scatty job - I was not in my own house and there were no sharp knives! I forgot to photograph it when cooked but you get the idea...

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