An Easier Christmas Dinner

Sub the big roast or bird for simplicity.

Christmas Dinners historically feature an impressive centerpiece of Roast Goose, Turkey, Pork Crown Roast or Prime Rib.

For home cooks that don’t regularly prepare such centerpieces this can be a cause of stress or anxiety which, let’s be honest, no one needs extra of around the holidays.

On top of that you’re going to be shelling out some serious $$$ for something like a prime rib.

The other consideration is maybe your Christmas feast will be more of a small gathering in which case you don’t need a huge bird or rib roast to feed 12 people.

Today I’m offering a much easier solution that requires near-zero prep work and will have you enjoying a succulent protein for your feast that doesn’t require an oven or a lengthy reverse sear.

I’m talking about the underrated Duck Breast 🦆

For some reason in the West, this is a really underappreciated cut and I believe it’s mostly due to people not being taught the way to properly cook the duck breast for maximum flavor and enjoyment.

When cooked properly you get a wonderful crispy skin on top of a meltingly tender duck breast meat that is perfect for a low-maintenance dinner

The bonus of the method below is that you will be able to collect a nice amount of rendered duck fat from the breasts that you can save or use to saute anything from potatoes to brussels sprouts while the breast meat rests after cooking.

Pan-Seared Duck Breast

What Duck?

First thing to start with is what type of duck breast you want to find.

For starters, avoid the Maple Leaf farm duck breasts you see in most grocery stores. These are too small for pan searing and by the time the skin has rendered and is crisp, the meat has completely overcooked.

There are numerous duck breeds that are relatively easy to find online, at nicer supermarkets and also Asian markets.

Here’s a few of my favorites.

Rohan: This is a heritage breed cross exclusively offered by D’Artaganan which is a quality purveyor based out on the NE USA.

The Rohan includes the Heritage Mallard and Pekin duck breeds. Their goal was to get an end product similar to a heritage-breed duck from France with juicy, tender, rose-colored meat and mild taste.

Moulard: This is a hybrid of Muscovy & Pekin ducks which are raised for the famed foie gras. This hybrid breed, is known for its rich red meat, with a wonderful fat content that renders out from the skin while cooking.

Also available via D’Artagnan they state “raised cage-free, in open barns, on a vegetarian grain diet, with no added antibiotics or growth hormones. Our small farm follows traditional methods, with an emphasis on a stress-free environment and plenty of space to allow natural flocking behavior”

I used both Rohan and Moulard frequently in my restaurants and the quality is top-notch!

*You’ll notice while the Rohan breast average 8oz the Moulard are almost double, ~14oz, so plan on 1 moulard breast for 2 ppl.

Muscovy: You might recall this is the breed we used for making duck confit legs back in Jan 2022. (This would also be a great alternative for Christmas dinner!)

The Muscovy has been a favorite in high end kitchens for decades due to its high fat content that can be rendered out and re-purposed for other uses. These carry quite a premium online however I have seen the Grimaud brand sold in Asian markets for significantly cheaper.

The most important consideration is that you have duck breasts which contain enough lean meat under the skin so the interior doesn’t over cook before the duck is rendered.

The entire process takes maybe 20 mins and then a short rest before slicing.

Let’s cook:

Pan-Seared Duck Breast

This is more technique/method than recipe so follow along below and give it a shot.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. We are going to cook the duck breast 80% on the skin side down; very similar to how we do crispy skin fish.

2. Use a medium heat (we will turn up to medium high to finish), if oyu start over higher heat the skin will brown but the fat won’t render out properly resulting in a chewy and unpleasant duck… no bueno 😑

3. You can use any pan but non-stick is the easiest/hassle free way. Outside of that you can use carbon steel or even stainless steel, just check that the skin has released from the pan before trying to move the breasts around.

4. Pan size, a 10in could get 2 Rohan breasts comfortably. A 12-14in could get 4. So if you have 2 pans you could do this for 8ppl.

5. Final interior cook temp of the breast meat should be medium rare, medium at most. Any more than that and the duck gets chewy. The breast meat it self is quite lean but full of flavor.

Method:

1. *optional but recommended: night before, season the duck breasts generously on all sides with sea salt (or my new personal favorite Craken Bird Seasoning) and leave on a plate or tray in the fridge skin side up.

2. Remove from the fridge when ready to cook, pat dry and trim away any excess fat that significantly hangs over the duck breast (it will shrink during cooking so you shouldn’t need to take much/if any off. Also check the breast and remove any silver skin with a sharp paring or boning knife.

3. Now with the same sharp knife, gently score the skin into a cross hatch pattern. Be careful not to cut through the skin and expose the flesh. We are trying to increase surface area so the fat will render out faster from the skin during the cook.

4. In a large pan (see note above) off heat, place the breasts skin side down then put over a medium flame. Gently press down on the breasts to ensure full an-contact which will avoid any curling and uncooked skin spots. *A meat/burger weight is perfect for this.

   

   

5. Now just leave the pan alone and let the fat render out of the skin. You should hear some slight sizzling but not much. Remember we are rendering the fat, not trying to “sear” in the traditional sense. The skin will brown and crisp as the fat renders.

6. It may be necessary to take the pan and drain some fat off if you start seeing large pools of fat in the pan; drain as necessary, there should be some in the pan at all times.

7. You’ll notice the edges of the skin browing after 8-12mins. At this point flip the breasts over so the skin side is up. They should be a light golden brown.

8. Now turn the heat up to medium high and baste the skin with the fat in the pan. *You can add a knob of butter and garlic/fresh thyme for added flavor during the baste but not necessary.

9. Once the breasts are basted (~3-5mins) more, remove from the pan and allow to rest for at least 5 mins, preferably 10. Internal temp when removing from pan should be around ~125F, after the rest internal temp will be over 130F which should be a bang-on medium rare.

   

   

10. At this point you can serve the breasts whole per plate, or slice 1/2inch thick and arrange on plates for your guests. You should havea rosy-red interior that is succulent, tender and delicious with a crispy duck skin exterior.

11. *While the duck rests you can pan fry potatoes, or brussels sprouts and warm up whatever sauce you want to serve with. Gastriques go really well with duck (sweet and sour fruit sauces), like a blueberry, cherry or blackberry. Or just a good brown gravy could do the trick, just avoid saucing on the skin so it doesn’t get soggy 🙌

This can be the ultimate centerpiece for a small crowd and is very flexible with different flavors.

Drop any questions below… this is really a top-tier technique to have in your bag of culinary tricks and save you paying ~$49 per plate at your local restaurant.

The big day approaches! I’ll be dropping a Q&A next to answer any last minute questions, provide tips or tricks to help make your Holiday season as tasty as possible!