Duck Leg Dumplings with Potato Noodles, Champagne Herb, and Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg starchy potatoes
• Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 150 g Spelt flour Type 1050
• 4 tbsp whole wheat semolina
• freshly grated nutmeg
• Pepper
• 50 g onions
• 250 g grapes
• 50 g butter
• 500 g Sauerkraut
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 juniper berries
• 200 g champagne
• 2 kg duck leg (6 pieces of 330 g each)
• 150 g crème fraîche
• 2 tsp Dried thyme
• 1 tsp red pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash potatoes, boil in salted water, drain, peel and press through a potato ricer. Cool, then mix with eggs, flour, semolina, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into dough; roll into a 1.5 cm thick log. Cut into ~2 cm wide pieces and shape into noodles with pointed ends using hands. Simmer in salted water for 2–3 minutes, lift with slotted spoon, drain well.

2. 2.

   Peel and halve onions, slice into rounds. Wash and halve grapes. Heat 40 g butter in a large pot, sauté onions until translucent. Add sauerkraut, stir for 5 minutes while loosening with a fork. Insert bay leaves and juniper berries. Pour in 150 ml champagne and 200 ml water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 1–1.5 hours, adding more water if needed. Mix in grapes 30 minutes before finishing.

3. 3.

   Wash duck legs, pat dry, rub generously with salt and pepper. Arrange side by side in a roasting pan and roast at 180 °C (fan 160 °C; gas 2–3) for about an hour until crisp, basting occasionally with remaining champagne. Flip once. Insert a sharp object into the thickest part of a leg; if the liquid that comes out is not bloody, the leg is cooked.

4. 4.

   Remove legs from pan and set aside warm. Scrape the drippings with 100 ml boiling water into a pot. Whisk in crème fraîche, bring to a boil. Reduce to about two-thirds over medium heat, briefly whisk with an immersion blender, then season with thyme and red pepper. Adjust salt if necessary. Before serving, fry the dumplings in remaining butter until golden brown.

5. 5.

   Plate duck legs with potato noodles, champagne herb, and 1–2 tablespoons of sauce. Serve immediately.