2 duck legs (thigh and drumstick)
1tbsp groundnut oil
75g/½ cup diced pancetta
2 banana shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
80g/½ cup puy lentils
100ml/scant ½ cup vermouth
200ml/generous ¾ cup chicken stock
2tbsp pomegranate molasses
Salt and black pepper
Seeds from half a pomegranate
This is a wonderfully easy one-pot dinner – simple to put together, leaving you to sip cocktails in another room as it finishes cooking in the oven. Both rich and warming, it’s a lovely, cosy, wintery supper for two. A herb salad alongside would be perfect.
Serves 2
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/400 F/gas 6. Take the duck from the fridge, unwrap it, and dry the skin with kitchen paper. Warm the groundnut oil in a pan (one with a lid that can be transferred to the oven is ideal), and place the duck legs into it, skin-side down. Fry until the skin is crispy and golden, and then flip over and cook for a further 10 minutes on the other side. Remove the duck to a plate.
2. Add the pancetta to the pan, and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving the fat behind.
3. Fry the shallots over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a further couple of minutes, until the garlic smells fragrant.
4. Tip the lentils into the pan, and stir through the shallots. Pour in the vermouth and allow it to bubble away for a minute or two before adding the stock and pomegranate molasses and some seasoning. Nestle the duck legs, skin-side up, into the lentils, and place a lid on the pan. Alternatively, if your pan won’t go into the oven, transfer everything to an ovenproof dish, and cover.
5. Bake in the oven for an hour, then remove the lid and cook for a final 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure the lentils don’t dry out.
6. Serve sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, alongside a herb salad – large parsley and rocket leaves dressed with olive oil and cider vinegar would be ideal.