Wild Duck Breast with Sweet Potatoes

 

Tender wild duck breast with sweet potato mash and asparagus

Wild duck is an entirely different eating experience from supermarket or particularly takeaway bought duck. I have heard a few people say they don't like duck as they have only ever tried the fatty, tough and greasy types of duck breasts that are generally offered in a commercial sense. These wild Scottish duck breasts are lean, darker in colour and full of intense, delicious, gamey flavour. Because they are not fatty like those other aforementioned duck breasts, they do require cooking in an alternative fashion. Sweet potato is a perfect accompaniment and in this instance I have served it mashed with a little butter and ground cumin.

Cook Time

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in: 25 min

Yields: 1 serving

Wild duck breast fillet

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped to 1.5 inch/4cm chunks
• Salt
• 1 wild duck breast fillet, skin on
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 6 to 8 asparagus spears, trimmed
• Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dried oregano to garnish (optional)

Method

Put the sweet potato chunks into a large saucepan of cold, salted water, ensuring they are all comfortably submerged. Put the pan on to a high heat until the water reaches a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle to medium simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pieces are just softened.

Wild duck breast fillet is put on to fry

When the sweet potatoes are simmering, pour a little vegetable oil into a non-stick frying pan or skillet and bring it up to a high heat. Season the duck breast on its skin side with salt only and on the flesh side with salt and pepper. Lay it skin side down in the hot oil and reduce the heat to medium to high. Fry for about 7 or 8 minutes until the breast looks from the side as though it's about 3/4 the way cooked through.

Duck breast is turned to fry on flesh side

Turn the duck breast on to its flesh side and reduce the heat under the pan to low to medium. Continue to fry for another 2 to 3 minutes on the flesh side before lifting to a plate and covering with foil to rest. Leave the pan on the hob as you will need it again (unwashed) to cook the asparagus.

When the sweet potatoes are just softened, drain through a colander at your sink and return to the empty pot. Let them sit for 2 to3 minutes to steam off. This allows the excess moisture to evaporate and prevents soggy mash.

Asparagus spears are added to hot frying pan.

Bring the frying pan used to cook the duck breast back up to a fairly high heat and add the asparagus spears, along with a little bit of butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a fairly high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan gently on a regular basis to turn the asparagus and ensure they cook evenly.

Seasoned sweet potatoes are ready for mashing

Add the cumin and a little bit of butter to the sweet potatoes and mash with a hand masher until just smooth.

Duck is laid on sweet potato mash bed to serve

Spoon the sweet potato mash on to one half of a square serving plate and spread it out roughly to serve as a bed for the duck. Lift the asparagus on to the other half of the plate and drizzle with a little of the cooking juices.

Lift the duck breast to a chopping board and slice through the skin at a slight angle in to 4 or 5 thick pieces before arranging on top of the sweet potato bed. Garnish if desired with a little sprinkle of dried oregano.

Wild Goose Breast and Crisps Sandwich

 

Wild goose breast and tomato sauce crisps bread roll

A crisp sandwich may be a popular creation in Scotland and in the UK as a whole but it is probably not something anyone would immediately or even normally associate with wild game. That said, this idea that I came up with from who knows where worked very well and it is very much something that I would make again in either the exact same or similar fashion. The concept is also infinitely variable in terms of the types of wild game, the flavours of crisps and the types of sundry accompaniments and breads which could be used in the preparation.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min (plus sauce cooling time)

Cook time: 15 min

Ready in: 25 min (plus sauce cooling time)

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 thin slices from peeled and halved white onion
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for frying goose breast strips
• 2 or 3 tablespoons canned chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• Salt and pepper
• 3 slices across the grain from skinless wild goose breast fillet, around 1/4-inch or 1/2cm thick
• 1 soft bread roll or burger bun
• Handful tomato sauce/ketchup crisps, or crisps flavour of choice
• Few coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish

Starting to saute onion and garlic

Method

Pour a tablespoon of oil into a small saucepan and bring it up to a medium heat before adding the onion and garlic. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes over a medium heat until the onion is softened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cover and set aside to cool. Note that you can easily make the sauce in advance and refrigerate for up to 3 days until required.

Slices strips from a goose breast fillet

Use a very sharp knife to cut the goose breast into strips. It may be that you are preparing several portions of this crisp sandwich and use the whole goose breast, but if not, the remainder will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and can be used for any number of other purposes - very much including a wide variety of alternative goose breast sandwiches!

Pour a little oil into a frying pan and bring it up to a medium to high heat. Fry the goose breasts for 2.5 to 3 minutes each side before removing from the pan and setting aside to rest for 5 minutes. The meat should be rare to medium rare.

Tomato sauce and goose strips are laid on bread roll

Cut the roll in half horizontally and lightly toast the cut sides. Spread half the cooled tomato sauce on the bottom half of the roll and lay on the cooled goose strips, slightly overlapping.

Tomato sauce crisps are added to goose breasts

Lay the crisps on top of the goose breast strips and press down lightly to crush them slightly and help them stay in position. Otherwise, they are likely to slide off when you add the remainder of the sauce.

Remaining sauce and coriander top tomato sauce crisps and goose breast

Spoon the remainder of the sauce on to the crisps and top with the coriander leaves. Sit the top on the roll and press down lightly before serving.

Pheasant Breast with Red Salsa Mash

Pan fried pheasant breast with red salsa mash and peas

This dish features one of the last pheasant breasts I had in my freezer from last winter's shooting season and as there will of course be no more fresh ones until at least October, I wanted to create a very simple but still tasty dish that highlights the natural pheasant flavours at their very best. I therefore fried the breast whole before serving it with some red pesto flavoured mash and frozen peas.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 25 min

Ready in: 35 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized baking type potatoes
• Salt
• 1 skinless pheasant breast fillet
• Black pepper
• Sunflower oil for frying
• 1 teaspoon red salsa paste (supermarket bought in a jar)
• Frozen peas, quantity as desired
• Malt vinegar
• Dried oregano to garnish (optional)

Method

Peel the potatoes and chop to around 1.5 inch (4cm) chunks. Put them into a pot of cold, salted water and put the pot on to a high heat to reach a boil. Adjust the heat at this stage to maintain a moderate simmer until the potatoes are just softened. This should take approximately 20 minutes but test them with a skewer or fork after 15 minutes.

Pheasant breast is added to the pan to fry

When the potatoes have started simmering, pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into a frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Season the pheasant breast on both sides and fry over a low to medium heat for about 8 minutes each side, depending upon size, until done. Lift to a plate when ready and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.

Red salsa paste is added to mashed potatoes

Drain the potatoes at your sink through a colander and return them to the empty pot. Very importantly, allow them to steam off for 2 or 3 minutes before mashing. This allows the excess moisture to escape in the form of steam, as otherwise, you will have soggy mash. Add the peas to pot of boiling water to simmer for 3 minutes.

Mash the potatoes with a hand masher before adding the red pesto and carefully stirring it through to fully combine.

Drain the peas when done, return to the empty pot and season with salt, black pepper and malt vinegar. Gently swirl the pot to evenly distribute the seasonings.

Red pesto mash and peas are plated

Spoon the mash into the centre of a deep serving plate and flatten with the back of the spoon to form a round bed for the pheasant. Spoon the peas on to the plate to form a border around the mash bed.

Sliced pheasant breast is arranged on mash bed

Lift the rested pheasant breast to a chopping board and cut at a slight angle into about 4 or 5 thick slices. Arrange on the pesto mash bed and garnish with a scattering of dried oregano.

Venison Backstrap and Rabbit Kidney Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

 

Venison backstrap and rabbit kidney stuffed mushrooms

The pairing of wild game of different types can be a fascinating journey of culinary discovery. Whether it be in a terrine, in a pie, or in a more simple and straightforward fashion such as the one seen here, the results can be not only delicious but surprisingly so. This idea came about simply because I had cleaned a batch of half a dozen rabbits and wanted to prepare a quick and easy dish that would allow me to use up all the delicious little kidneys in one go. 

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3-inch (7.5cm) piece of venison backstrap
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt and pepper
• 12 rabbit kidneys, carefully peeled* and cut in half lengthways through the centre
• 2 Portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
• 2 large Savoy cabbage leaves, tough central veins removed, rolled and shredded
• 1/4 small white onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small red chilli, finely sliced

*Kidneys from any mammal have an outer membrane covering them (sometimes two) which should be carefully peeled away by hand prior to cooking. If you don't do this, the membrane will shrink during the cooking process and potentially damage at the very least the presentation of the kidneys. Removing it from kidneys this small is fiddly but worth the effort, particularly if they are being cooked whole.

Starting to fry venison backstrap

Method

Pour a little oil into a non-stick frying pan or skillet and bring it up to a high heat. Season the venison backstrap on both sides with salt and pepper and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes each side. Lift to a holding plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Mushrooms and vegetables are put on to fry

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan vacated by the venison and bring it back up to a medium heat. Add the mushroom tops (flat side down) to one half of the pan and the cabbage, onion, garlic and chilli to the other half. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for an initial 2 minutes, stirring the cabbage combination around very frequently.

Mushrooms are turned to fry on their second side

Turn the mushrooms over that the flat sides are now uppermost. Fry for 2 further minutes, continuing to stir fry the cabbage combination. 

Rabbit kidneys are put on to sear

Kidneys from larger mammals such as lambs or particular cows/oxen will have white fatty elements in their centre which require cutting out and removing prior to cooking. This is not necessary with rabbit kidneys as they are so small.

Pour a little oil into a small saucepan or frying pan and bring it up to a medium to high heat. Add the rabbit kidneys just after the mushrooms are turned, season with salt and pepper and saute for about 1.5 to 2 minutes until just done.

Sliced venison strips are laid in fried mushroom cups

Lift the mushrooms to a plate covered with kitchen paper to briefly drain, cup sides down, while you lift the venison backstrap to a chopping board and slice it carefully and moderately thinly against the grain at a 45-degree angle. Present the mushrooms cups side up on a square serving plate and lay the venison strips carefully inside, topping with the rabbit kidneys.

Arrange the cabbage stir fry on either side for service.