Name: South on Albany’s confit duck salad with honey and hazelnut dressing
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 250 min

“May I request the recipe for the confit duck salad from chef John Evans at South on Albany in Berry?”

Merideth Mccluskey, Sydney, NSW

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Ingredients

3 duck Marylands (about 275gm each)

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled

2 tbsp rock salt

2 tbsp (firmly packed) thyme

1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle

1 fresh bay leaf, torn

Finely grated rind of ½ orange

600 gm duck fat, melted

2 cups (loosely packed) watercress sprigs

4 radicchio leaves, torn

½ cup (loosely packed) frisée (pale inner leaves only)

1 cup (loosely packed) baby rocket

¼ carrot, cut into julienne

45 gm roasted and chopped hazelnuts (1/3 cup)

Honey and hazelnut dressing

2 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp hazelnut oil

1½ tbsp honey

½ tsp each Dijon and wholegrain mustard

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 120C. Wash duck and pat dry with paper towels. Combine garlic, rock salt, thyme and black pepper in a food processor, pulse until coarsely ground, then transfer mixture to a non-reactive container and stir in bay leaf and orange rind. Rub salt mixture thoroughly into duck, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours to cure.

2.Rinse duck under cold running water, rubbing to remove any herbs or spices. Dry well with paper towels and place in a roasting pan large enough to hold duck pieces snugly in a single layer. Pour duck fat over to submerge duck completely, loosely cover pan with foil, transfer to oven and cook until meat starts to fall from the bone (2½-3 hours). Cool to room temperature in fat (30-40 minutes). Remove duck from fat with a slotted spoon (strain fat and refrigerate for another use), transfer to a tray skin-side up and refrigerate until flesh is firm (30-40 minutes).

3.Preheat oven to 160C. Remove skin from duck, transfer skin to a wire rack placed over a roasting pan and roast until golden and crisp (25-30 minutes). Chop skin finely and keep warm.

4.Shred duck meat, discarding sinew and bones. Place on an oven tray and roast until warmed through (4-5 minutes), then transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

5.For honey and hazelnut dressing, whisk citrus juices, oil, honey and mustards in a bowl, then season to taste. Drizzle a quarter of the dressing over duck.

6.Combine watercress, radicchio, frisée, rocket and carrot in a bowl and season to taste. Drizzle with remaining dressing, add duck, toss lightly to combine, and serve scattered with hazelnuts and duck skin.

Start this recipe a day ahead to cure the duck. This can also be done in advance – it will keep refrigerated, fully submerged in fat, for three weeks.
Notes

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Aimee Jones

Styling by Nick Banbury

Ingredients

Method

Main

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