Braised duck breasts with celery and orange

Recipe by: Maggie Pannell

Add photo

Reviews (0)

Tweaks (0)

Serves: 4
Yield: 4 servings
Ready in: 2 hours (1 hour 20 mins Prep - 40 mins Cook)

Try this stylish dish for entertaining. With the skin removed, duck breasts are full of succulent flavour but low in fat and the oranges supply antioxidant vitamin C.

Recipe provided by:

Reader's Digest | Healthy One-Dish Cooking

Ingredients

6 oranges
4 skinless, boneless duck breasts, about 175g each
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 celery sticks, sliced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
500g small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
150ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)
TO GARNISH chopped fresh parsley

Preparation method

Finely grate the zest from 4 of the oranges. Arrange the duck breasts in a single layer in a dish and sprinkle over the zest. Squeeze the juice from these oranges over the breasts, then turn them over several times. Cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
When you are ready to cook, remove the duck from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Peel the remaining 2 oranges and cut each into 8 segments.
Heat the oil in a shallow flameproof casserole over a moderate heat. Add the onions and celery and stir for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue frying for about 1 minute until the onions are softened but not brown. Using a draining spoon, remove the onions and celery from the pan and set aside.
Lift the duck breasts out of the marinade and place in the casserole. Spoon the onions and celery over them, then pour over the marinade. Add the potatoes and half the orange segments, scattering them around the duck breasts. Pour over the stock, add the chilli, if using, and bring to the boil.
Cover the casserole and put it in the oven. Cook for 35–40 minutes until the duck and potatoes are tender. Season to taste.
Remove the duck breasts from the casserole and slice them. Spoon the onions and celery into soup plates and scatter the potatoes around the side. Top each portion with sliced duck, then spoon the juices over. Garnish with reserved orange segments and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

variations

*Pork steaks would also work well in this dish. Trim excess fat and cook them for 20 minutes. *This is a great dish to try in the spring when ruby-coloured blood oranges are in season.