Seared Duck Breast with Parsnip Purée

Looking for a luxe Valentine’s Day dinner for two? This seared duck breast with parsnip purée delivers the romantic vibes. Tender, juicy duck with vanilla-scented, creamy parsnip purée and a velvety red wine sauce creates the perfect combination of flavors for a romantic dinner date.

Seared duck breast with parsnip purée is the perfect romantic dinner for two.

Seared duck breast is a dish I break out when I want a meal to feel extra special. For us, it always feels a bit more elevated than steak or chicken because we eat both of those more frequently. Duck breast has definitely become our special occasion go-to! If you’re intimidated by cooking duck, fear not. It does require a bit of extra prep. Once you have that out of the way, cooking duck breast is quite simple.

I developed this recipe years ago, and it’s one I’ve come back to often with some tweaks and adjustments along the way. After having tested it again multiple times recently, I’m so excited to share the final recipe with you.

How to make seared duck breast with parsnip purée

The recipe has three main parts: vanilla parsnip purée, duck breast, and a simple red wine sauce.

What you need

• Vanilla parsnip purée: You’ll use parsnips, Yukon gold potatoes, vanilla, mascarpone cheese, and milk.
• Duck: You only need a duck breast, salt, and pepper.
• Red wine sauce: The sauce is simple. You’ll use rendered duck fat from the breast, garlic, shallot, flour, red wine, and beef stock.

How to make it

Duck preparation

• Step 1: Remove the duck tender. First, remove the duck tender. If you leave it on, it won’t be the end of the world but it can mess with your cooking time. It will also make your slices look a bit more sloppy if you leave the tender on. Typically, duck breasts are sold with the duck tender almost cut off, so you can just lift it up from the breast and remove it with your hands or cut it off with a small knife. Don’t throw it away though! Apparently, this is the prized part of the duck breast! I read that chefs usually reserve this one for themselves. Simply salt and pepper it and fry it up quickly for a little pre-dinner snack. That’s what we do!
• Step 2: Score the skin. After you’ve had your little snack, pat the duck breast dry. Score the skin–meaning, cut shallow slices in the skin–across the breast. I like to cut on a diagonal across the breast in ¼-inch increments. Be careful not to cut into the breast meat. Scoring the skin gives the fat a place to render from. Because duck has such a thick layer of skin, you must score it in order to render the fat properly, so don’t skip this!

The Parsnip Purée

• Step 3: Make the parsnip purée. Before I start cooking the duck, I like to start the parsnip purée. Boil the potatoes and parsnips then blend them with vanilla, mascarpone, and milk. Keep them warm as you make the rest of the recipe.

Cook the duck

• Step 4: Render the duck fat. Place the duck breast, skin-side down, in a cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, peeking under the duck periodically to ensure the skin isn’t burning. You can occasionally use a flipper to press the breast into the skillet to ensure the fat renders from the deepest part of the skin.

• Step 5: Finish cooking the duck breast. Once the skin is very golden brown, flip the duck breast and cook it to your desired internal temperature. You may need to adjust the heat to ensure the bottom doesn’t get too crispy or too done. It will take an additional 10 to 15 minutes for the duck to finish cooking. Make sure you have a meat thermometer handy! I like to cook my duck breast to an internal temperature of 140ºF for a medium doneness. If you like medium-well, cook the breast until it reaches 155ºF.

• Step 6: Remove the duck. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Carefully strain the rendered fat through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Wipe out the skillet and return it to the stove.

The Red Wine Sauce

• Step 7: Make the red wine sauce. Heat a little rendered duck fat in the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until softened. Add flour and then the red wine. Whisk in the beef stock and simmer until the sauce thickens.

• Step 8: Slice the duck. After the duck as rested, slice the duck breast crosswise into thin pieces.

• Step 9: You’re ready to serve it up! Spoon the purée onto plates and arrange a few slices of duck on top. Spoon the red wine sauce over and finish with freshly minced chives.

Seared Duck Breast with Parsnip Purée

Looking for a luxe Valentine's Day dinner for two? This seared duck breast with parsnip purée delivers the romantic vibes.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 536kcal

Equipment

• Skillet
• Large pot
• Fine mesh sieve
• Colander
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

• 1 pound duck breast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 shallot (peeled and minced)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup red wine (such as cabernet sauvignon)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (peeled)
• 1 pound parsnips (peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thirds)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup whole milk (plus more if needed)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste ( or vanilla extract)
• 2 teaspoons chives (minced)

Instructions

Prepare the duck:

• Pat the duck dry and carefully remove the tender by pulling it away from the breast. You can fry the tender for a little treat or reserve it for another use.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully cut slits on a bias across the duck’s skin, about ¼-inch apart. Be careful not to cut into the breast meat.
• Season the duck with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Boil the potatoes and parsnips:

• Place the potatoes and parsnips in a large pot and cover with water. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes and parsnips are fork-tender. Drain and return to the pot. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Blend the potatoes and parsnips:

• Turn the heat on the pot to low. Add the mascarpone, whole milk, and vanilla paste. Use an immersion blender to blend until just smooth, adding more milk if needed, until the purée reaches your desired consistency. Be careful not to overwork the potatoes. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired. Keep warm.

Render the duck fat:

• Place a skillet on the stove. Add the duck, skin-side down, and turn the heat on the skillet to medium. Cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes until the fat renders and the skin becomes crispy.

Cook the breast

• Flip the duck and continue cooking until the breast reaches your desired internal temperature. I recommend 140ºF for medium temperature. If you prefer well-done, cook the duck until it reaches 155ºF. Adjust the heat as needed between medium and medium-low to prevent the duck from cooking too quickly on the bottom.

Rest the duck:

• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil for 10 minutes.

Prepare the red wine sauce:

• Drain the duck fat into a heat-proof glass through a sieve. Discard any solids or blackened bits from the skillet. Wipe out the skillet.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the strained duck fat back to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning.
• Add the flour and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the red wine and whisk until a thick slurry forms. Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until reduced. Taste and add salt and pepper. Transfer to a gravy boat.

To serve:

• Slice the duck crosswise into slices. Spoon the purée onto plates and arrange a few slices of duck on top. Spoon the red wine sauce over each plate. Finish with chives. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: You will likely have leftover parsnip purée!

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 805mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 50mg

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