Duck frites

Adam Liaw reimagines the classic French dish, steak frites, with duck breasts served with a red wine sauce finished with butter and quince paste, adding acidity and a fruity depth. Serve with crispy fries and lightly dressed butter leaves on the side to complete the meal.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• 2 duck breasts, 200 g each
• French fries, to serve
• Dressed butter lettuce leaves, to serve

For the red wine duck sauce

• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 eschallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised
• 300 ml red wine
• 2 tbsp quince paste or plum jam
• 150 g cold butter, diced
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• Salt

Resting time: 5 minutes

Instructions

1. Start with the red wine sauce. Combine the thyme, eschallot, garlic and wine in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce to about ¼ cup, then mix in the quince paste. Whisk in the cold butter until the sauce thickens, stir in the vinegar, season with salt and keep warm.
2. Place the duck breasts skin down in a cold, dry frying pan and place a cooking weight or pot lid on top. Place the pan on medium-low heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the fat from the skin renders, then flip the duck and cook for a further 2-4 minutes, until the duck is medium-rare. Pour off the excess oil, then increase the heat to high and sear the duck on all sides until golden. Remove from the heat. Rest for 5 minutes.
3. Slice the duck and plate with the French fries. Pour the sauce over the duck and serve with dressed greens.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.