Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

For the duck

• 4 duck breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 400ml/14fl oz red wine
• 300ml/10½fl oz chicken stock
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 30g/1oz dark brown sugar
• 50g/1¾oz cherry jam
• 2 cooked beetroots, chopped into small cubes

For the potatoes

• 4 medium potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation method

1. For the duck, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Fry the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a frying pan for 6-8 minutes.
3. Drain off any fat and reserve for later. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then turn the duck breasts over and roast in the oven for 6-8 minutes (for medium) or until cooked to your liking. Remove the duck breasts from the oven, cover with foil and set aside in a warm place to rest.
4. Meanwhile for the sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the wine, chicken stock, rosemary and sugar, bring the mixture to the boil and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Drain the mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan, then whisk in the jam. Fold in the beetroots, and keep warm.
5. For the potatoes, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling, salted water for 5-10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.
6. Heat the reserved duck fat in a frying pan, then add the potatoes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the rosemary. Cook the potatoes for 5-10 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown.
7. To serve, slice the duck breasts and place onto serving plates. Add some potatoes alongside and spoon over the sauce.