Seared Duck Breast with Duck Fat Potatoes and Red Wine Sauce

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. With a sharp knife score the skin side of the duck breasts to form hatch marks. Season both sides of the duck with salt and pepper.

Add vegetable oil to the hot pan and then place duck in the pan skin side down. Cook duck breasts over a medium flame for 20-25 minutes until about until most of the fat has rendered. Periodically pour off fat into a bowl and reserve fat leaving just a tablespoon or so in the pan.

When the fat has mostly rendered flip breasts over to the flesh side to cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for five minutes. Duck should be medium to medium rare at this point. (Check duck while cooking and if skin is browning too fast turn down heat. If the breast are larger, add a lid to the pan for part of the cooking to speed up the process).

While duck is cooking cut potatoes into dice about 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the reserved duck fat in a medium skillet over a medium high flame. Add diced potatoes to the skillet along with salt and pepper. Toss potatoes periodically while cooking to brown evenly on all sides.

Mince rosemary and add to potatoes about 5 minutes into cooking. Potatoes are done when a paring knife easily pierces through.

While duck is resting, return the duck pan to the stove over medium high flame along with the red wine and thyme. Reduce wine by half and turn off heat. Stir butter into the red wine sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice duck and serve with the sauteed potatoes and red wine sauce.