Dukkah Crusted Duck with Roasted Butternut, Sumac and Feta

Tonight's dinner is a veritable explosion of colour and flavour. Sweet roasted butternut squash, peppery rocket, tangy sumac and salty feta make a bed for deliciously crispy-skined duck. It's finished with dukkah, that gorgeous Middle Eastern mixture of roasted nuts and spices. Duck and dukkah, such a good combination it surely can't be a coincidence that their names are so similar?

Prep: 40 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 servings 3 servings 4 servings
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 duck breasts
  • 1 honey
  • 1 feta cheese
  • 1 cider vinegar
  • 2 olive oils
  • 2 sumacs
  • 1 wild rocket
  • 1 dukkah mix
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 red onions
  • 3 duck breasts
  • 1.5 honey
  • 1.5 feta cheese
  • 1.5 cider vinegar
  • 3 olive oils
  • 3 sumacs
  • 1.5 wild rocket
  • 1.5 dukkah mix
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 red onions
  • 4 duck breasts
  • 2 honeys
  • 2 feta cheeses
  • 2 cider vinegars
  • 4 olive oils
  • 4 sumacs
  • 2 wild rockets
  • 2 dukkah mixes

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Halve the butternut squash lengthways and scrape out the seeds with a spoon (no need to peel). Chop into 1cm cubes. Halve the red onion (leaving the root on), then peel and chop into wedges (four per half).
  2. Put the squash on a baking tray and drizzle over some oil. Season with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper and toss to coat. Pop on the top shelf of your oven. Roast until soft, 30-35 mins. After 20 mins, add the onion to the baking tray, carefully toss together and roast until browned, 15 mins.
  3. Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat. While the pan gets hot, pop the duck on a chopping board skin-side up. Use a sharp knife to make criss crosses on the skin (don't cut through to the flesh), four lines going one way and four going the other way diagonally. Season both sides of each duck breast with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
  4. Once the pan is hot, lay in the duck skinside down. Cook until the skin is golden and crispy, 6-7 mins. Turn and brown the flesh side. Transfer to a baking tray (skin-side up). Don't wash the pan. Roast on the middle shelf of your oven for 8-10 mins for medium-rare. TIP: Leave in for a couple mins more if you want it less rare. Once cooked, remove from your oven and drizzle on the honey. Cover with foil and leave to rest.
  5. Break the feta into small chunks roughly 1cm in size. Make the dressing for the rocket by mixing the cider vinegar with the olive oil (amount specified in the ingredient list). Season with salt and black pepper and add half of the sumac, mix again. When the butternut and onion are cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the remaining sumac.
  6. Slice each duck breast into six pieces. Add the rocket to your sumac dressing and toss together. Lay the rocket out on your plates. Nestle the butternut and onion amongst the rocket and then sprinkle on
    the feta. Sit the duck on top and drizzle over the juices from your frying pan. Sprinkle the dukkah spice over and Enjoy!