Steve Carter - Shetland Food Fair 2015

By Elizabeth AtiaNovember 3rd 2015

Steve Carter is a chef at the Saxavord Resort in Unst, and at this year's very successful Shetland Food Fair he demonstrated how to make a simple, yet flavoursome, pan fried peppered duck breast recipe with rosemary and thyme sauteed potatoes, finished off with a Shetland Reel Gin and cherry compote.

Steve's cooking tips:

score the skin of the duck, but make sure not to cut all the way through
let the duck rest after cooking but before eating. This is so the muscles can relax and the meat will be more tender.
when preparing the compote, the back of the spoon test is a good way to check that the reduction is ready. Coat the back of a spoon with the mixture and run your finger through it - if it leaves a clear line the reduction is ready.
serve the chard as soon as it's wilted. Don't overcook it.

Pan-fried Peppered Duck Breast with Rosemary & Thyme Sauteed Potatoes

Course: Main
Servings: 2-3 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pan-fried Peppered Duck Breast

duck breast - 1
rock salt - pinch
rainbow pepper - pinch

Rosemary & Thyme sauteed Potatoes

Charlotte potatoes -
olive oil - 1 splash
butter - 1 knob
salt - 1 pinch
rosemary -
thyme -

Wilted Chard

mixed chard leaves - 100 grams
garlic clove - 1

Shetland Reel Gin and Cherry Compote

fresh or frozen cherries - 200 grams
Shetland Reel Gin - 125 ml
light brown soft cane sugar - 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Place your whole potatoes into lightly seasoned boiling water and continue to boil until soft. Once cooked, cool immediately with ice cold water and then slice.
Place your duck breast skin side up on your chopping board. Lightly score the skin without cutting in to the meat, if possible, then season with rock salt and rainbow pepper.
Place the duck, skin side down, into a hot pan and cook until the skin starts to crisp up. Turn and seal the duck breast and then place into the oven for about 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your duck breast.
Place the sliced potatoes into a hot pan with a light olive oil and knob of butter. Add fresh rosemary and thyme and toss lightly in the pan until golden.
To prepare the Shetland Reel Gin compote with cherries, place your fresh or frozen cherries into a pan with the light soft brown cane sugar, adding your Shetland Reel Gin. Increase the heat until it starts to boil.
Once boiling, return the pan to a simmer and remove the cherries. Set aside.
Continue to reduce your reduction until you can cover a teaspoon and wipe the back, giving you a separation line between the reduction and the spoon.
Then add the cherries back to the reduction and serve by drizzling over the top of the duck or placing into a separate dish.
Wash and dry the chard before placing it into a hot lightly buttered pan and cook down with a pinch of roasted garlic. Once wilted, serve immediately.

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