Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 200g (7oz) duck breast
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g (2oz) roasted hazlenuts
- 200g (7oz) lentils
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ – 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- ¼ red cabbage, about 300g (11oz), core removed and very thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Using the tip of a knife, make three or four shallow incisions through the skin of the duck breast. Season the fat side with salt and pepper and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Place fat-side-down in an unheated frying pan or grill pan. Turn the heat on low and cook the duck breast very slowly, until golden brown, allowing the fat to render out – this may take 15-20 minutes. Turn the duck breast over and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, until it is just cooked through, or pop it into the oven on a roasting tray for the final 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roast the hazlenuts by tossing them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden, or put them into the oven with the duck for 5-7minutes – but on a separate roasting tray.
- While the duck is cooking, put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water, bring up to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice and chopped chilli and season to taste. Add the sliced red cabbage and chopped coriander and stir to mix. Taste and add a little more olive oil if it is a bit dry or more lemon juice if it needs sharpening up.
- When the duck is cooked and has cooled slightly, slice it very thinly and toss with the salad. Tip into a large bowl or pile onto salad plates and sprinkle with the chopped roasted hazlenuts.