Duck Breasts with Peppercorn Sauce

🥘 Ingredients

• asparagus (trimmed)
  8 oz
• black pepper
  ½ tsp
• black truffle butter
  2 tbsp
• chicken demi-glace
  2 packets
• duck breasts
  2 pieces
• lemon (zested and quartered)
  1 unit
• olive oil
  2 tbsp
• plain butter
  1 tbsp
• potatoes (diced into ½-inch pieces)
  1 lb
• salt
  1 tsp
• shallot (halved, peeled, and minced)
  1 unit
• sour cream
  2 tbsp
• tricolor peppercorns
  2 tsp
• water
  ¼ cup

🍳 Cookware

• zip-close bag
• medium pot
• paper towel
• large pan
• baking sheet

1. 

   1

   potatoes . shallot . lemon . asparagus . Place tricolor peppercorns in a zip-close bag ; crush with a heavy-bottomed pan or rolling pin until coarsely ground.

   potatoes: 1 lb (diced into ½-inch pieces), shallot: 1 unit (halved, peeled, and minced), lemon: 1 unit (zested and quartered), asparagus: 8 oz (trimmed), tricolor peppercorns: 2 tsp
2. 

   2

   Place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender ⏱️ 15 minutes . Reserve ½ cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash with sour cream and black truffle butter , adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed, until smooth. Season generously with salt and black pepper .

   sour cream: 2 tbsp, black truffle butter: 2 tbsp, salt: 1 tsp, black pepper: ½ tsp
3. 

   3

   While potatoes cook, pat duck breasts dry with a paper towel ; season all over with salt. Place skin sides down in a large pan . Cook over medium heat until skin is browned and crispy ⏱️ 15 minutes , carefully pouring out fat as it renders. Flip and cook to desired doneness ⏱️ 3 minutes more. Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board to rest. Wipe out pan. > Lower heat if duck begins to brown too quickly.

   duck breasts: 2 pieces
4. 

   4

   Once duck is flipped, toss asparagus on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil ; season with salt and pepper. Roast on middle rack until lightly browned and tender ⏱️ 10 minutes .

   olive oil: 2 tbsp
5. 

   5

   Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in pan used for duck over medium-high heat. Add shallot and ¼ tsp crushed peppercorns; cook until browned and softened ⏱️ 1 minutes . Stir in chicken demi-glace and water . Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced ⏱️ 2 minutes . Stir in plain butter . Turn off heat. > Taste and add more crushed peppercorns if desired.

   chicken demi-glace: 2 packets, water: ¼ cup, plain butter: 1 tbsp
6. 

   6

   Thinly slice duck crosswise; divide between plates and top with pan sauce. Serve potatoes and asparagus to the side. Top asparagus with lemon zest to taste and serve with lemon wedges on the side.