Fried wild duck breast in Madeira sauce with mashed potato & red cabbage

Wild duck breast

• 3 wild duck breast fillets
• Ground salt & pepper
• 2 tbsps thyme honey
• 2 tbsps Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• Zest of half an orange
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 50 ml Madeira

Red cabbage with apples

• 1/4 red cabbage head
• 1 apple
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1 tsp cooking oil
• 1 onion
• 1/4 l water

 
Mashed potato

• 1 kg floury potatoes
• 300 ml fresh milk
• 20 g butter
• 1 tbsp cream
• Nutmeg

Remove any fat and tendons from the duck breasts and season the meaty side with salt and pepper. Make diamond shape incisions in the skin using a sharp knife. Place the duck breasts skin side up in a deep plate. Mix the honey, vinegar, orange juice and zest in a small saucepan. Wash the thyme, add this to the mixture and reduce. Brush the duck skin with the marinade and leave for roughly 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Heat up an oven-proof frying pan without any fat. Fry the duck breasts with their skin side down over a high heat for 7-8 minutes. Then turn the meat and fry over a medium heat for a bit longer. Cook the duck breasts in the pan in the pre-warmed oven on the middle rack for just under 10 minutes so that they are slightly pink inside. Remove the duck breasts from the pan and cut them diagonally into slices. Add the Madeira to the meat juices and whisk with butter to taste. Finely slice the onions and glaze in the cooking oil, add the sugar and fry until brown. Add the thinly sliced red cabbage and pour water over it, add the peeled, cored and grated apples and steam (put the lid on the saucepan or cover it with cling film). Season with salt, add the butter and more water if required, then steam for another 15 minutes.

Tip: Refine the red cabbage with apples with a bit of white roux (mix melted butter with a bit of white flour). Peel and boil the potatoes until cooked. Mash them. Bring the milk and butter to the boil. Add the mashed potatoes, season with salt. Refine with a bit of cream and the freshly grated nutmeg to finish.