Recipe: Duck with Peas

Name: Duck with Peas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 beautiful Nantais duck, 1.6 to 4 lb (1.8 kg), cleaned and seasoned inside with salt, pepper and thyme, then trussed; 2.8 oz (80 g) salted butter; 1 bunch of fresh savory (or 0.4 oz (10 g) dried savory); 12 pearl onions; 2.2 lb (1 kg) fresh or frozen peas; 1 crisp head of lettuce; 7 oz (200 g) salted pork belly cut into small lardons, blanched (place in cold water, bring to boil and cool); A little butter and oil

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.5/5 (4 reviews)

Prep 30 min

Cook 40 min

Total 1h10

Servings 6 serv.

The trap with duck and peas is cooking the thighs and breasts at the same pace. Breasts cook in 15 minutes, thighs need 30. Here we brown the whole duck first, then roast it covered with bacon and pearl onions, while the peas melt separately with savory. The three elements come together in the oven for a final pass.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

1 beautiful Nantais duck, 1.6 to 4 lb (1.8 kg), cleaned and seasoned inside with salt, pepper and thyme, then trussed
2.8 oz (80 g) salted butter
1 bunch of fresh savory (or 0.4 oz (10 g) dried savory)
12 pearl onions
2.2 lb (1 kg) fresh or frozen peas
1 crisp head of lettuce
7 oz (200 g) salted pork belly cut into small lardons, blanched (place in cold water, bring to boil and cool)
A little butter and oil

Step-by-step directions

1 In a heavy pot with a knob of butter and a little oil, brown the duck for 10 minutes on one thigh, then 10 minutes on the other, then place it upright and baste it.

2 Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) (gas mark 6-7).

3 Remove the duck from the pot and replace it with the lardons and pearl onions. Brown them well, then put the duck back, season with salt and pepper, cover and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the 2.8 oz (80 g) of butter, then add the lettuce, well washed and finely shredded. Once it has wilted, season with salt and pepper, then add the peas, savory and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring just to boil, remove from heat and set aside off the stove.

5 Remove the duck pot from the oven, add your peas around the duck and return to the oven for 10 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, let the duck rest covered for 10 minutes, so the juices will have infused the peas. Then carve the thighs in half and cut strips from the breasts. Place the peas in a shallow dish with the pieces of duck on top. You probably noticed that at the start of the recipe, I mentioned cooking the thighs longer. With this method, they will never be tough again. Another little variation: roast the same duck, but coat it with liquid honey (acacia) during cooking and serve with a pan of apples seasoned with a pinch of cinnamon. You can also use beautiful squabs for this recipe, but remember to divide the cooking time in half.

A chef's advice

The lardons blanched first in cold water, then browned in the pot, that's the secret to keeping them tender. For serving, present the peas in a shallow dish with the carved duck on top and the jus poured around: the meat stays juicy, the peas absorb the rich collagen-laden broth. In Normandy, people often add a spoonful of thick crème fraîche with savory just before plating. Nothing revolutionary, but it binds beautifully. The ten-minute rest after cooking is not optional: the thighs finish cooking through, the juices redistribute. A classic of French regional cooking that we too often overlook in favor of duck à l'orange.