South on Albany's confit duck salad with honey and hazelnut dressing recipe (2024)

• 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)

• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp hazelnut oil
• 1½ tbsp honey
• ½ tsp each Dijon and wholegrain mustard

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

  See Also

  Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, Stuffing & Gravy Recipe - Andrew ZimmernBasic Bonito Broth — Dashi recipeThe Best Oven Roasted Turkey Breast RecipeHeart-Healthy Recipes That Can Be On the Table in Under 30 Minutes

  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.