This is surprisingly light, despite duck being thought of as a fatty meat.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole medium duck, about 2kg
- 200g dry-cured bacon, diced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 onions, quartered
- 8-10 whole baby turnips, cleaned
- 3 tbsp wine or cider vinegar
- 200ml sherry
- 1.5 litres water or stock of your choice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- Fresh chervil or flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish
Method
- 1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot that’s big enough to hold all the ingredients. Over a high heat, brown the duck on all sides and set aside.
- 2. In the same pot, fry the bacon and the whole garlic cloves over a medium heat until slightly browned. Set aside.
- 3. Add the onions and turnips to the pot and fry until browned. Set aside.
- 4. Return the duck to the pot, breast-side down. Add the vinegar, sherry, water or stock, salt, sugar and tomato purée. Return the bacon and all the vegetables to the pot and give it a gentle shake to let it settle. Bring to a good simmer then cook, covered, for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is tender enough to push off the bone. The casserole will be brothy; the leftovers make the basis of a great soup. You can remove the duck and vegetables and put them to one side before reducing the stock to make it thicker. If there is time, allow the juices to rest overnight and skim the fat before reheating and serving up.
- 5. Garnish with chervil or parsley and serve with mashed potatoes or bread for mopping up the juices.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 432kcals, 22.2g fat (6.4g saturated), 34.6g protein, 8.9g carbs, 6.9g sugar, 3g salt
Wine Recommendation
Wine note: many medium-bodied reds work here, but an inexpensive, slightly savoury Chianti is very good.