I’ve decided to do this funky little dish in bite size, you could certainly scale it up and use one duck breast per person.
Ingredients
- cocktail sticks
- 2 nice big plump duck breasts trimmed, but with skin on
- 2 tblsp sunflower oil
- 1 star anise
- 100 ml sherry vinegar
- 75 g brown sugar
- for the champ
- 6 nice peeled potatoes
- 4 spring onions chopped
- 75 g butter
- 150 ml milk or enough milk to make a soft creamy mash
- salt and pepper
- grated nutmeg
Method
- Boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt.
- To make the caramel, put the sugar vinegar and star anaise into a pan, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and allow to reduce by 1/3, set aside.
- Season the duck on the flesh side
- Preheat a frying pan, add the oil and sear the duck flesh side first and then turn over to skin side. Turn down the heat and allow to cook for 5 minutes, turn the duck once more and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and place on between 2 plates to keep warm and rest.
- Meanwhile strain the potatoes, and mash as finely as you can a mouli or ricer would be perfect for this.
- Whip in the milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg, then add the spring onions and keep warm. The champ should be a cross between a mash and a sauce, if its too thick, add a little more milk.
- To finish put the caramel onto a gentle boil until it starts to get sticky.
- Cut the duck in the middle from top to bottom, then across into nuggets, drain on kitchen paper then put into the caramel and remove from the heat.
- Spoon the champ into small bowls, stick the cocktail sticks into the duck and drain off excess caramel, then nestle into the little bowls of champ
