When I was thinking of a main course to serve my mom, the tricky part was the protein. Half the menu was fruit/vegetable-focused, while I also had a soup course that used poultry in the form of black chicken. I knew in terms of proteins, my mom would either want a fish, duck, or lamb, and of the three, I wanted to do duck, since it pairs well with sweeter flavors. I had an idea already to use radicchio, since my mom LOVES bitter vegetables(she used to serve us cooked arugula), and the only way to contrast that is with fattier, sweeter flavors. Luckily, duck is a fatty protein, and it actually pairs with sweet ingredients like orange and honey really well, so it just made perfect sense to make a duck dish with purple yam(an inherently sweet ingredient), radicchio, and blood oranges! In terms of the components, we have a roast duck breast with purple yam chips, purple yam puree, duck-roasted radicchio, and a blood orange-duck jus.

In terms of the technical aspects of this recipe, the radicchio is actually one of the bigger time commitments – we are layering up the radicchio leaves with thinly sliced pieces of smoked duck breast and honey, then roasting to so that you have this crispy-edged, melt-in-the-mouth bitter-sweet-salty-smoky cabbage situation. Needless to say, even if you hate radicchio(or just dislike bitter foods), this dish might actually convert you on that, since the other ingredients work well to contrast that bitterness. The purple yam puree and the sauce actually don’t take as much time to make, while the duck itself is just a low and slow-ish cooking process to ensure that the fat properly renders and that the skin gets crispy. The chips, admittedly do take a decent chunk of time, since they are dehydrated in the oven, but they do provide a colorful, crispy garnish for additional texture. I will admit that I accidentally overcooked my duck breast(I put my oven at too high of a temperature when I was finishing it in the oven), but I did adjust the times and temperatures for this recipe so that if you make this recipe, your duck will be a pleasant pink color instead of white like mine was.

Makes 4-8 portions:
For the roasted radicchio:
2 heads radicchio
1 smoked-cooked duck breast(can replace with pancetta or prosciutto)
2 tbsp olive oil
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp honey

Cut the radicchio in quarters lengthwise and then remove the cores of the radicchio. Thinly slice the duck breast and sprinkle salt, olive oil, and honey onto each slice. Place the slices between the leaves of radicchio and place each radicchio quarter onto a lined sheet tray. Roast at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.

For the purple yam chips:
1 purple yam
a pinch of salt
olive oil

Thinly slice the yam on a mandolin. Toss the slices with salt and olive oil. Roast at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container until time to use.

For the purple yam puree:
2 purple yams, peeled and diced
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup soy bean milk

Boil the yams in salted water for 10 minutes. Strain out the yams and whisk in the salt, butter, and soy bean milk until a silky puree forms.

For the duck breasts:
4 duck breasts:
a pinch of salt

Score the skin sides of the duck breasts. Pat the duck dry on both sides and sprinkle salt on both sides. Place the breasts, skin side down, into a nonstick pan and turn on to medium heat. Sear the duck breasts on the skin side for 9 minutes. Then remove the excess fat from the pan, and sear on the flesh side for another minute. Then transfer the duck breasts to a roasting sheet, reserving the pan for the sauce, and bake at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes. Allow the duck breasts to rest for 10 minutes before slicing in half, lengthwise.

For the duck jus:
Reserved pan from cooking the duck
2 tbsp cooking sake
Juice from 4 blood oranges
1 tbsp veal demi glas
1 tbsp unsalted butter
salt to taste

To the pan, add the other ingredients besides the butter and salt first, and stir on low heat until the solids are dissolved into the liquid and that the liquid is reduced by half. Add to that the butter first, and then add salt to taste.