Easy dinner recipes: Crispy duck breast in under 30 minutes for gluten-free Wednesday

A crispy duck breast for dinner? It’s not as hard as you think.

Duck is one of those dishes people often order out, but rarely make at home. A plate of fanned-out slices of crispy duck breast can be a real showstopper at dinner parties, but we have a recipe for a perfectly crisp breast in less than 30 minutes.

Pair it with a sweet and sour plum sauce, a French lentil salad, or maybe an orange-ancho chile sauce.

CRISPY DUCK BREAST

Total time: 25 minutes | Serves 10

5 large (about 1/2 pound each) or 10 small duck breasts, skin on and boneless

Salt

White pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

5 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1 knob of butter (I read that somewhere and it sounded cool), about 2 tablespoons

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the duck breasts with a pinch each of salt and white pepper -- no salt, no flavor!

Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the vegetable oil and then add the duck, flesh-side first. Let it sear until it gets some color, about 2 minutes.

Flip it over to the fat side and sear for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary along with the butter and put the pan in the oven until it reaches the desired doneness, maybe 7 minutes for small breasts and 12 for large.

Let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes before you slice it to serve.

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Twitter: @Jenn_Harris_