Duck Breast with Roasted Beets
Our soft and elegant Founders' Vines Pinot Noir pairs wonderfully with succulent duck and the sweet, earthy flavors of roasted beets. This is the perfect dish to celebrate the Fall harvest.
Ingredients
Duck:
- 4 duck breasts
- 5 shallots, minced
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup duck or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch in 2 Tablespoon cold water
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 1 pinch of dry thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Beets:
- 6 medium red beets
- 6 medium golden beets
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
Directions
Duck:
Place duck breasts skin side down in a heavy frying pan and cook until browned, letting the fat melt and brown the duck. Pour off fat. When skin has browned turn the duck and quickly brown the other side. You want flesh to be rosy and juice to be reddish.
Transfer duck to roasting pan and place in oven to finish cooking while you make the sauce.
Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon of fat in frying pan. Add shallots to pan and sauté until softened. Add wine and cook until reduced by half again. Add stock and cook until sauce reduces and is richly flavored. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, cinnamon and thyme, stir well. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is glossy and thickened. Season to taste, whisk in butter.
Pool the warm sauce on serving plates. Slice duck breast on the diagonal and place atop the sauce. Garnish with roasted beets.
Beets:
Coat beets with vegetable oil and roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 60- 70 minutes. When beets are cooked (will feel like a ripe avocado), remove from oven and let cool. Peel beets and cut into 12 pieces each. Reheat in oven with olive oil and salt. Reserve.