Karen Wright: Duck a l’orange helps get me in the mood

This year I am going to three different areas in France, The Dordogne, Aveyron and the Creuse. I have been to all these places before, in fact we worked in the Dordogne, holidayed in the Aveyron and lived in the Creuse so I know how amazing the trip is going to be.

To get myself in the mood I cooked a French dish this week. It was fantastic, so many taste bud tingling sensations! It was a classic Duck a l’ orange served with Sarlat potatoes and red cabbage. Sarlat is a lovely town in the Dordogne and these potatoes are delicious and are a wonderful addition to anyone's potato recipe collection.

This is what I did: I took two duck breasts and scored the fat before placing them into a frying pan and rendered down the fat on a very low heat. I removed the duck from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan and then completed cooking it in the oven whilst I made the potatoes.

I peeled potatoes and cut them into half inch thick slices like coins. I rinsed and dried them and then placed them into the frying pan and browned them in the duck fat. I then added a few crushed garlic cloves and continued cooking a stirring the potatoes for about ten minutes. Then I added some chicken stock to just cover the potatoes and brought to the boil and then reduced to a simmer until the liquid was absorbed and the potatoes were tender.

For the sauce, I juiced and zested a large orange, I chopped a red onion very finely. I softened the onion in a little oil and then added the orange juice. zest, a tablespoon of marmalade and a splash of triple sec (optional) I used a little arrowroot powder mixed with water to thicken it. You can use cornflour but it tends to make the sauce cloudy whereas arrowroot remains clear.

Once the skin on the duck is crispy plate up with a generous serving of sauce, season the potatoes and serve with a vegetable of your choice. Bon Appetit!