AD | Roast Duck with Rosti, Leeks and Clarence Court Duck Egg

At first I read a huge bunch of Rosti recipes to work out how best to make them. In the end I went with the most traditional of recipes, which is how the one I had in Switzerland was made. Simply it involves peeling fluffy potatoes (King Edwards here) and adding to a pan with oil and pushing down to make the potato ‘cake’. For this dish I also learnt how to perfectly boil a duck egg. I of course used the Clarence Court Braddock Whites for the meal. These British free range eggs are delicious, with the most gorgeous yellow/orange yolks. I am already a huge fan of Clarence Court hen eggs, but these duck eggs are just stupendous.

Roast Duck with Rosti, Leeks and Duck Egg

An opulent dinner, with the most delicious duck egg accompaniment.

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine English

 Cook Time 50 minutes

 Servings 2

Ingredients

• 3 King Edward potatoes Peeled and grated
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Leeks Sliced
• 2 Duck breasts Skin scored
• Plum sauce
• 2 Duck eggs At room temperature

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Put the duck breasts in a roasting tin and cover. Put into the oven. Bring a pan of water to the boil and par boil the leeks for 1-2 minutes. Then drain and leave to steam in the colander (this will help them dry.
2. When the duck is coming to the last 15-20 minutes, put the leeks in the oven to cook (drizzle with oil and season). At this point uncover the duck and pour over the plum sauce and leave to cook.
3. Heat a large saute/frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tbsp of the oil and add the potato. Push down to start forming a ‘cake’ and then leave alone for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes use a plate to flip over the rosti, add some more oil if needs and repeat the previous step (pushing down gently). Leave for 10 minutes.
4. Bring another pan of water to the boil and add the duck eggs. These take 6 minutes to cook, plunge them in cold water after – it makes it easier to peel but also stops the yolks from cooking.
5. To serve chop up the rosti, add the duck, leeks and egg. Enjoy!

Now I understand this may not have been the prettiest dish I have ever made. But seriously this dinner was divine. The rich duck egg, the Rosti and that fruity plum sauce. I was transported back to Switzerland with the Rosti and the other elements complemented perfectly. If you’re veggie I’m sure you could find an alternative… Or just enjoy the duck egg and Rosti alone!