Duck Breast Fillet with Kumquats

Ingredients

• 400 g small duck breast fillets (2 small fillets)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 6 mandarins (or 2–3 small oranges)
• 200 ml poultry broth
• 400 g potatoes (4 potatoes)
• 2 stalks coriander
• 100 ml classic vegetable broth
• 40 ml cooking cream (15% fat)
• 5 kumquats
• 1 pinch sugar
• 20 g crème fraîche (15% fat; 1 tbsp)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the duck breast fillets, pat dry with paper towels, and rub with salt and pepper. Place skin side down in a greased pan and sear over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until fat renders.

2. 2.

   Flip the fillets and brown the underside in the rendered fat for about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and pour out the fat from the pan.

3. 3.

   Halve and juice the mandarins or oranges. Add the juice with the poultry broth to the pan and bring to a boil.

4. 4.

   Place the duck breast fillets skin side up into the pan, cover, and simmer on low for about 40 minutes.

5. 5.

   Meanwhile, peel, wash, and slice the potatoes thinly with a vegetable peeler. Layer them in two round gratin dishes (about 12 cm diameter) like roof tiles, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   Wash the coriander, shake off excess water, pluck the leaves and set aside. Finely chop the remaining coriander and place it in a bowl.

7. 7.

   Whisk together the vegetable broth and cooking cream with the chopped coriander, then pour over the potatoes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (fan 160 °C, gas: level 2–3) on the middle rack for 25–30 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

8. 8.

   In the meantime wash and dry the kumquats, then slice them thinly.

9. 9.

   Remove the potato gratins from the oven, cover with foil to keep warm. Place the duck breast fillets in a small baking dish. Brown under the oven grill or with upper heat for about 10 minutes until the skin is crisp.

10. 10.

    Meanwhile reduce the simmering liquid over high heat to half in about 10 minutes. Add the kumquats and cook everything together for another 3–4 minutes. Season with a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper, then stir in the crème fraîche.

11. 11.

    Slice the duck breast fillets and serve them on plates with the sauce. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and serve alongside the coriander potato gratin.