by Simon Stallard from The Hidden Hut Cookbook (Harper Collins)
Photography: Susan Bell & Sally Mitchell
This is one of those Sunday roasts that is so sumptuous that you probably won’t fancy dessert afterwards. I just love the duck and figs – the are such a wonderful combination. Serve with the kale for added goodness and colour. The figgy gravy will counteract the bitterness of the dark leaf. And don’t hold back on the duck-fat roasted parsnips.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 onions, halved
4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
4 rashers of streaky bacon
8 fresh black figs, halved
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for rubbing the duck
4 duck legs
8 parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthways and woody core removed, cut into even-sized chunks
A small handful of thyme sprigs
250ml red wine
500ml chicken stock
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steamed and battered kale, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C fan / gas mark 5. Put the onions, cut side down, in a roasting tin, then add the garlic and bacon rashers. Add 4 of the figs and drizzle everything with the olive oil, then toss to coat. Spread them out over the roasting tin.
Rub the duck legs with a little olive oil and put them on top of the ingredients in the tin. Sprinkle sea salt flakes and a dusting of pepper over everything, then roast in the oven for 1 hour.
Take the roasting tin out of the oven and move the duck legs aside. Remove the onions, garlic, figs and bacon from the roasting tin and put to one side. Add the parsnips to the roasting tin, along with the thyme sprigs. Toss everything together to coat the parsnips with the duck fat, and put the duck legs back on top. Add the remaining figs to the roasting tin and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Put the roasted onion, garlic, bacon and figs in a saucepan and add the wine and stock. Using a wooden spoon, muddle the onion mixture in the stock to break it down slightly and release the flavour. Cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat to reduce the mixture a little. Put the cornflour in a small bowl and mix with a little water until runny. Stir the mustard and the cornflour into the mixture in the pan and cook for a few more minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened to the consistency you want. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the roasted parsnips with the duck legs and roasted figs on top. Pour over the figgy gravy and serve with steamed kale.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:
0.5% Bölle Rosé & Sandridge Barton 2022 Pinot Noir
