Duck with prunes, chestnuts and Pedro Ximénez sherry | Pato con ciruelas
This dish has all the elements to be the perfect Christmas centrepiece, if it wasn't for the fact that it is just too easy to make, and you know how complicated we like to make it when it comes to Christmas – nothing can take half an hour.
INGREDIENTS
1 small whole duck, 1.2kg cleaned
8 garlic cloves, skin on but crushed
handful of peeled chestnuts
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 pears
12 dried prunes
125ml (1/2 cup) sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
A drizzle extra virgin olive oil
500g new potatoes
1 glass of water
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200°C
Parboil the new potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Heat some oil in a wide ovenproof pan or casserole over a medium heat. Season the duck with salt and pepper and pan fry on all sides until golden. Help yourself with a pair of tongs. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside.
Add the garlic cloves with the skin and onion to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Add the thyme, pears, prunes and the parboiled new potatoes, chestnuts, return the duck to the pan and then add a small glass of water.
Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, then switch off the heat and leave the duck in the oven for a further 20 minutes without opening the door. This should crisp up the skin and cook the duck to perfection as well as resting the meat.
Place the roasting tray over the burner on high heat for 1 minute and pour the sherry around the duck. While still hot place in the middle of the table and flambé with a lighter until the sherry catches. Let the flames flare up then die down.
