Pan duck breast
Score the skin, render it, and pull the breast while the center is still rosy. This is the weeknight duck when you only brought two home.
You will need
- Duck breasts, skin on
- Salt
- Black pepper
- A heavy pan
- Optional: a spoon of fig jam or a splash of stock
The method
- Score. Crosshatch the skin. Salt both sides. Leave them on a rack if you have twenty minutes.
- Cold pan. Skin side down in a cold pan, then medium heat. Let the fat render. Do not rush it.
- Flip late. A minute on the meat side. You want the skin brown and the center pink.
- Rest. Five minutes. Slice. Spoon the jam or the pan juices, not both if you like it simple.
If the birds were warm in the vest, this recipe will not save them. Ice in the field still comes first.