Duck with sour cherry sauce and mini gratins

Name: Duck with sour cherry sauce and mini gratins
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: butter; 300g floury potatoes; 150ml double cream; ½ clove garlic; 1 tsp picked leaves thyme; 25g parmesan, finely grated; 2 duck breasts; cooked to serve green beans; 2 shallots, finely chopped; butter; 30g dried sour cherries; 250ml red wine; 175ml chicken stock; ½ cinnamon stick; 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time50 mins
A little effort
Serves 2

Ingredients

butter
300g floury potatoes
150ml double cream
½ clove garlic
1 tsp picked leaves thyme
25g parmesan, finely grated
2 duck breasts
cooked to serve green beans
2 shallots, finely chopped
butter
30g dried sour cherries
250ml red wine
175ml chicken stock
½ cinnamon stick
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Method

STEP 1
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter 2 holes of a 4 hole yorkshire pudding tin and line with pieces of baking paper (scrunch it up a few times first so it becomes pliable enough to push in and mould to the hole).
STEP 2
Peel the potato then cut the ends off so when you slice it the pieces are a similar size. Slice into ½cm rounds, then boil in salted water until just tender, drain.
STEP 3
Heat the cream, garlic and thyme until simmering. Season well. Fill the lined pudding tin holes with potato slices, pouring in cream as you go. Sprinkle over the parmesan then bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden.
STEP 4
To make the sauce, fry the shallots in a knob of butter until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the redcurrant jelly) and simmer until it reduces to a syrup. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and another knob of butter and cook until the jelly melts and looks glossy. Keep in the pan to warm up later.
STEP 5
Season the duck breasts and cook skin side down in an ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn over, and transfer to the oven for 6 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the gratins, sour cherry sauce and the cooked green beans.