Roast duck with smashed swede and carrots and blackened brussels sprouts

Fiona Anderson

Brussels sprouts are a firm favourite at Riverstone and this year we are enjoying roasting them until the leaves are blackened and the centres soft and creamy. Served with smashed swede, you almost don’t need the duck — but what the heck, life is short.

Ingredients

1	Roast duck, whole* (Main)
75 ml	Olive oil
600 g	Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthways
4 servings	Swede, and carrot smashed, see below
120 ml	Jus, warmed, optional
4 dashes	Herb oil, see below

Smashed swede and carrots

1	Swede, small, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
2	Carrots, medium, peeled and roughly chopped
800 ml	Chicken stock
100 g	Unsalted butter

Herb oil

¼ tsp	Sea salt
1 cup	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 tsp	Fresh thyme
½ clove	Garlic, peeled
80 ml	Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200C. Remove legs and breasts from cooked duck. Reserve carcass for later stock. Place duck on a baking paper-lined oven tray and set to one side.
2. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan, over a high heat. When oil is very hot, carefully add brussels sprouts to pan and lightly season with a little salt and pepper. Toss sprouts in oil often until outside leaves start to burn.
3. Place sprouts in oven and cook for 5 minutes before placing duck in to the oven as well. Cook sprouts for a further 5 minutes as duck comes back up to temperature.
4. Meanwhile, warm smashed swede and carrots (below) in a small pot and divide swede between 4 plates. Top with blackened brussels sprouts followed by the duck. Finish with jus which you can buy in pouches in the supermarket, if using, and a healthy drizzle of herb oil (below).

Smashed swede and carrots

1. Place swede, carrots and chicken stock into a medium sized pot and bring to the boil. Reduce temperature to a medium heat and cook until vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
2. Top up with a little extra water as necessary. Once cooked, drain vegetables and roughly mash with a potato masher.
3. Return smashed swede to pot, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper. Reserve until ready to use. Keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Herb oil

1. Place salt into a mortar with parsley and thyme and grind to a paste.
2. Add garlic and grind it into the paste before muddling in oil until combined. Place to one side until ready to use.

*If time is short buy a whole duck ready roasted from the Chinese grocer or restaurant nearby. If roasting your own duck, cook at 200C until the meat starts to fall off the bone.