Pato Con Morita-Tamarindo (Pan-Fried Mayan Duck with Morita-Tamarind Sauce)

Ingredients:

Duck:

4 Mapleleaf duck breastss, 8 oz. each
1/2 pound purple Peruvian potatoes
1/2 pound Golden Yukon potatoes
1/2 pound Rose Finn fingerling potatoes
1 cup fresh corn
1/2 pound blanched fresh fava beans
1/2 cup wild rice
8 cloves garlic
9 pearl onions
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Morita-Tamarind sauce** (see below)

**Sauce:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 Morita peppers, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup tamarind syrup
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper

Instructions:

To prepare the duck:

Preheat an oven to 400F and score the duck breasts with a small, sharp knife. Place the water in a large skillet over high heat and add the duck breast halves, skin side down. Cook until the water has evaporated and some fat has been rendered from the duck, and the skin is seared and golden brown.

Place the duck breast halves on a baking sheet and place it in a preheated oven. Bake the duck breast until a meat thermometer measures 145F for medium rare, or more for well done. (The FDA recommended temperature for duck is 170F, but many restaurants prefer to serve it less well done.) Transfer the duck breast to a working surface and reserve the pan.

Toss the potatoes, corn, garlic and pearl onions with the olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper. Cover and bake at 325F for 30-40 minutes, or until done, then slice the potatoes into thick discs.

Cover wild rice with about 2″ of cold water. Bring to boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

To make the Morita-Tamarind sauce:

Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the garlic, shallot, tamarind, Morita pepper and chicken stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then let it simmer until it has a syrup consistency.

To assemble the dish:

Spoon some of the warm potato mixture onto 4 warm plates. Slice the duck breast and arrange on plates with the meat resting against the potatoes. Drizzle a little of the warmed reduction sauce onto each plate.

Recipe from Chef Edgar Rodriguez, Salbute, Hinsdale, IL.