Ingredient

Duck breast

A duck breast has a thick layer of fat under the skin and dark, lean meat beneath it. Getting both right means rendering the fat slowly while barely cooking the meat, and the counter-intuitive method that achieves it is to start in a cold pan.

Why cold pan, not hot

Duck fat needs time and gentle heat to render. Put a breast skin side down into a hot pan and the skin seizes and browns before the fat beneath it has melted, leaving a crisp surface over a thick layer of soft grease.

Starting cold and bringing the pan up slowly lets the fat melt out steadily, the skin thins and flattens, and by the time it is browned almost all the fat has gone into the pan.

The meat, meanwhile, cooks gently from one side only, which is exactly what dark lean poultry wants. It stays pink and tender rather than tightening.

The method

1. Score the skin in a close diamond pattern, cutting through the skin and fat but not into the meat. Cutting into the meat lets juices escape into the fat.
2. Season the skin with salt and leave it for a few minutes, then blot away any moisture.
3. Lay the breast skin side down in a cold, dry, heavy pan. No oil.
4. Turn the heat to medium-low and leave it. Fat will begin to run within a couple of minutes.
5. Pour off the fat as it accumulates — into a bowl, not the bin. Keep going for eight to twelve minutes until the skin is thin, flat and deep golden.
6. Turn it over and cook the meat side for two to four minutes depending on thickness.
7. Rest it skin side up for at least five minutes, then slice across the grain.

Which duck, and what to expect

Gressingham and similar British ducks

Moderate size, good fat layer, widely available. The general-purpose choice.

Magret

The breast of a moulard duck raised for foie gras. Much larger, deeper red, more like a steak. Cooked rarer.

Aylesbury and Pekin types

Fattier and milder. Traditionally roasted whole rather than sold as breasts.

Skin thickness

Varies a great deal. A thick fat layer needs longer rendering, not more heat.

The rendered fat

A by-product worth as much as the meat. Strain it, keep it cold, and use it for potatoes.

What to serve with it, and what to do with the fat

• Something sharp and fruity — cherry, orange, blackcurrant, plum, redcurrant. Duck is fatty and needs acidity.
• Roast potatoes in the rendered fat, which is the best possible use of it.
• Braised red cabbage, where vinegar and sweetness do the same job as a fruit sauce.
• A pan sauce made by deglazing with wine or stock after pouring off the fat.
• Confit, if you have accumulated enough fat — duck legs cooked slowly submerged in it.
• Sliced into a salad with bitter leaves and a sharp dressing.
• Chinese style, with pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin.

Common questions