Roast duck and Puy lentils

Published: September 7, 2022 by Taste of France Editors 18013 12

Serves 6

“This is staple food in south-west France, where the cookery revolves around duck. I use tinned lentils, not only because it cuts down on the time involved in cooking this (very simple) dish, but also because they are extremely good.” Cathy Gaynor

Duck and lentils on a plate

5 from 7 votes

Roast duck and Puy lentils

This is staple food in south-west France, where the cookery revolves around duck.

Cook Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Duck and lentils, Protein-rich

Servings: 6

Author: Cathy Gayner

Ingredients

Half a duck breast per person
150 g butter
3 large onions thinly sliced
2 packets of smoked lardons
1 large tin of lentilles préparées or 350g Puy lentils see note
1 dessert spoon tomato puree
l chicken stock cube
200 ml red wine
Salt and pepper

Instructions

The duck is best cooked on a barbecue but if you don't have one, score the skins and sear the fatty side of the breasts until golden brown in a dry frying pan. Turn the duck over and seal the other side.
Transfer to a baking dish and cook for 12 minutes at 200°C/ Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
To make the lentils melt the butter and very slowly, with the lid on the pan, cook the onions and the bacon. It will take about 30 minutes and by that time the onions will be very soft and translucent.
Tip in the lentils, add the tomato puree, stock cube, red wine and lots of seasoning.
Bring to the boil and cook briskly for about 5 minutes until the flavours all come together and the liquid has reduced a little. Season well. You are looking for a rich, earthy taste, so you might need to add a dash of balsamic vinegar or some liquid stock.
The lentils can be prepared a day ahead or even frozen.
Slice the duck thinly and arrange on each plate on top of a mound of lentils.

Notes

When in France, buy an 800g tin of lentilles préparées. Failing that, cook 350g Puy lentils with a bay leaf for around 15-30 minutes.
Liquid stock is sold in all French supermarkets and is an essential for every store cupboard.

Recipe extracted from Living France Magazine

Originally from Le Rouzet: An English Cook in France by Cathy Gayner.

Lead photo credit : Duck and lentils recipe, from Living France Magazine

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Comments

2022-09-26 18:49:47

Mrs H Nettlefold

I have the book it came from, Recipes from Le Rouzet, - everythng in it is worth trying and super easy so I am giving it to everyone for Christmas

REPLY
2022-09-09 20:39:46

Cheryl Charron

OK - I am an absolute coward in cooking despite my dreams of being good at it. , but this does seems simple, right? No BBQ but I think I can do the pan thing and I have Puy lentils in my cupboard waiting for something new to be tried.

REPLY
- 2022-09-12 09:45:13
  
  Sarrah at Taste of France
  
  Hi Cheryl, I completely understand your struggle! Trying new recipes can be so daunting. Rest assured though, even for the best Michelin chefs out there, practice makes perfect. So don't be discouraged if the first attempt of anything you cook isn't to your taste (although, I certainly hope this recipe will be), it's part of the learning process! I hope you give the recipe a try, and let me know how it goes!
  
  REPLY
2022-09-09 18:06:56

Romeo Danais

Dang auto correct, that would be ' make it much easier', not mushy.

REPLY
2022-09-09 18:05:34

Romeo Danais

Instead of "2 packets of smoked lardons" or "1 dessert spoon tomato puree", which are both rather nebulous measurements, why not say what weight of lardons, aka bacon, or use the Tsp. or Tbl. or how many grams of tomato puree. It would make it mushy easier for all of us to know what your measurements are.

REPLY
- 2022-09-12 09:36:00
  
  Sarrah at Taste of France
  
  Hey Romeo, thank you for this feedback! We strive to make French cooking as easy as we can for our readers, so will take this into account for our future recipes. I hope you have a great day!
  
  REPLY
2022-09-09 17:38:01

Linda Dorman

One of my favorite dishes! I add diced carrots and bits of dried fruit such as dates or raisins to add layers of flavor and texture. A touch of Moroccan paired with traditional French cookery.

REPLY
- 2022-09-12 09:32:35
  
  Sarrah at Taste of France
  
  That sounds amazing Linda! Will definitely have to try that out next time :)
  
  REPLY
2022-09-07 11:58:38

Oli

This looks incredible!

REPLY
- 2022-09-07 12:13:59
  
  Sarrah at Taste of France
  
  Thanks Oli. Glad you think so too!
  
  REPLY
2022-09-07 11:53:24

Elinor

Great to see a recipe including lentils, brilliant for your health!

REPLY
- 2022-09-07 11:55:32
  
  Sarrah at Taste of France
  
  Absolutely! It's such a protein-rich dish, great for the gains 💪
  
  REPLY