Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (27 page)

Everybody loves slow-roasted, crispy duck from a Chinese takeaway, but this is an English version for a more substantial main course.

Serves 4

For the potato pancakes

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Pierce the
duck skin all over with a small sharp knife, but be
careful not to tear the skin. Season the duck with the
Szechuan pepper and salt to taste, then place it on a
wire rack in a roasting tray. Place the tray in the oven
and roast the duck for 35 minutes.

Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour off
and reserve the fat that has accumulated in the tray.
Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/Gas Mark 1.
When it reaches that temperature, return the roasting
tray to the oven and continue roasting the duck for
a further 2 hours, basting with its own fat every
20 minutes.

Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour
off 90 per cent of the duck fat from the tray. Increase
the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Pour the
runny honey over the top of the duck, then return the
tray to the oven and continue roasting the duck for a
further 15–20 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with
the pan juices and watching closely that the honey
doesn’t burn, until the duck is cooked through and
tender. On the last baste, add the soy sauce to glaze
the duck. Remove the duck from the tray and leave to
rest, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Whilst the duck is resting, make the braised lettuce
and potato pancakes.

For the lettuce, mix the stock, butter, thyme and
lemon peel together in a large saucepan over a high
heat and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the butter.
Place the lettuce halves in the stock and cover the
pan. Turn the heat down to low and leave the lettuces
to simmer for 8–10 minutes until they start to wilt.
Remove them from the heat and keep warm.

For the pancakes, mix the mashed potato, flour
and baking powder together in a bowl. Whisk
together the milk and eggs, then stir the liquid
ingredients into the potato mix to form a batter. Heat
the rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a
medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the
pan and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden
brown. Transfer them to the turned-off oven to keep
hot. You should get 12–16 pancakes.

When ready to serve, sprinkle the duck, potato
pancakes and braised lettuce with sea salt flakes.
Carve the duck and serve with the braised lettuce
and the potato pancakes. Spoon some pan juices
over the top and tuck in.

Tom’s Tip

Any fat leftover after basting the duck while it roasts
can be left to cool completely, then stored in the fridge
in a sealed container almost indefinitely to use in
other dishes. You can’t beat it for frying potatoes in.

Slow-roasted duck with braised lettuce and potato pancakes

I lived in Norfolk for a short while before opening The Hand & Flowers and I was introduced to the real outdoor way of life, proper country living. It was a fantastic
experience for a bloke who has always lived in cities. One night, a local took me out from the pub in his 4x4 to go ‘lamping’. This turned out to mean that I had to point a lamp with a
red light over a field to catch the eyes of wild rabbits, providing a target for my local shooter friend. We shot loads of rabbits that night, and this is one of the dishes that I was inspired to
make.

Serves 2

For the wet polenta

For the dandelion salad

Put the chicken, sea salt flakes and cayenne pepper and a food processor and process until the chicken is broken down. Add the egg and process again until incorporated. When
fully mixed, add the single cream and blend until a firm mousse forms. Transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge until needed.

Remove the loins, fillets, kidneys and the liver from the rabbit. Trim all sinew from the loin. Dice the liver and the kidney and mix with 4 tablespoons of the chicken mousse.
Add the garlic and parsley and mix again.

Lay the rashers of streaky bacon out next to each other on a large sheet of clingfilm. Place another layer of clingfilm on top and roll out with a rolling pin to stretch the
rashers. Remove the top layer of clingfilm. Lay the trimmed rabbit loins on the bacon with a 2cm gap between them. Fill this gap with the remaining chicken mousse. Place the rabbit fillets on top
and then use the clingfilm to help you roll the bacon over the top to form a sausage-like shape. Tie both ends to secure. Wrap the whole thing in kitchen foil and leave in the fridge to rest for 1
hour.

After 1 hour, bring a large saucepan of water up to the boil over a high heat. Drop the wrapped rabbit into the pan and put a small plate on top to keep it submerged. Turn off
the heat and leave the rabbit in the liquid, uncovered, for 1½ hours, or until it cools completely. When it is room temperature, transfer the rabbit to the fridge until needed.

Before you are ready to serve, make the wet polenta. Put the milk, bay leaf and black peppercorns in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and
leave to infuse, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Put the polenta into another pan and strain the infused milk onto the polenta. Place the pan over a medium heat and whisk constantly for 8–10 minutes
until the polenta has absorbed the milk and is cooked through and softened. Stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese and truffle oil. Season, but remember the cheese is salty, so you might not need any.
Set aside and keep hot.

Remove the rabbit from the foil and clingfilm and pat dry. Heat 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the rabbit and fry for about 8
minutes until browned all over and warmed through. Add the knob of butter and squeeze in the lemon juice. Remove the rabbit from the pan, leave to one side and keep warm. Do not discard the buttery
juices.

Quickly assemble the dandelion salad. Mix the dandelion leaves with the olive oil, some of the chives and season.

To serve, divide the polenta between 4 plates. Slice the rabbit and arrange it on the polenta. Drizzle the salad with a little of the buttery juices from the pan and arrange it
and the remaining chives around the plate. Serve immediately.

Here’s a proper British dish with all the classic game garnishes. Pheasant is a bit like game for beginners – it’s not too strong and is cooked like chicken.
This recipe is easy to do – just stick the bird in a pot and put it into the oven. You must be careful not to overcook the pheasant, however, as it has a very low fat content and can dry
out.

Serves 2

For the bread sauce

To make the bread sauce, put the milk, butter and double cream in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the peppercorns, clove, star anise and coriander seeds,
then remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan and leave the liquid to infuse for 45 minutes.

Strain the infused liquid through a fine sieve into another pan. Return the liquid to the boil and whisk in the breadcrumbs, whisking until the sauce thickens. Leave to one side
and keep warm.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Stretch the bacon over the top of the pheasant breasts, then leave to one side.

Heat the rapeseed oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the carrots and fry, turning them occasionally, until they turn a deep caramel colour – the darker
the better. Add the pancetta and garlic and fry, stirring, for a further 5 minutes. Add the orange peel and thyme, then place the pheasant on top, pour over the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Cover the pot, then place it in the oven and pot-roast the pheasant for 40–50 minutes until it is tender.

Remove the pheasant from the pot, cover with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and reserve the carrots, garlic and thyme. Bring the
cooking liquid to the boil, skimming the surface as necessary, then reduce the heat to medium and leave the sauce to simmer, uncovered, until it reduces to a sauce consistency. Add the chestnuts
right towards the end and stir through. Cover the carrots and garlic with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Use the gaufrette blade on a mandoline to cut the potatoes into thin game chips. Add the game chips to the boiling water
and almost immediately take them straight out and drain on a tea towel. Pat them completely dry.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan until it reaches 180°C. Add the game chips and fry, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes
until they become crisp and golden brown. Remove the game chips from the fat and drain on kitchen paper. Season. Fry the game chips in batches, if necessary, reheating the oil between batches. You
can keep them warm in the turned-off oven, but don’t cover then with foil or they will lose their crispness.