Grilled Duck Breasts with Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad

Just me and younger daughter at home the other night. The tomato was a lovely large specimen from Atkinson Farm by way of Revival Market on Heights Blvd.

Ingredients

1 duck breast per person, preferably pastured. Ours came from Countryside Farms

Ripe, summer tomatoes

Fresh ball/s of mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Magrets de canard or duck breasts

Slit the fat about 1 cm apart on the duck breasts and sprinkle both sides with sea salt and black pepper. 

Preheat your griddle pan. Let it get screeching hot and then put the duck, fat side down, for 3 minutes, uncovered. The fat will begin rendering from the skin so you may need to put a splatter guard over the pan to keep it from spitting fat everywhere.

When your 3-minute timer goes off, flip the breasts and push the timer for another 3 minutes.  Cover the pan with a loose fitting lid.  

When the time has reached 1.5 minutes, turn the fire down to medium. When the timer goes off, turn the duck breasts skin side up again and set the time for 3 more minutes.  Cook with the lid off for 1.5 minutes and then put the lid back on for the rest of the time. When the timer goes off, remove the breasts to a cutting board and cover with the pan lid. Let them sit for about 3-5 minutes. Slice thinly at an angle and serve.

Terrible photo but you get the idea.

Tomato Salad

Slice the tomato in quarter-inch slices and lay all around the plate.  Cut those slices in half again, if they will fit your plate better. Sprinkle sparingly with sea salt. Slice the fresh mozzarella ball and place one slice of cheese of each slice of tomato. Sprinkle a little more sea salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add small leaves of basil or chopped leaves of basil on top of the cheese and tomato slices.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.