Salad with Duck, Apples and Walnuts

In Denmark, the month of October is the beginning of the hunting season. Danes enjoy hunting and eating venison, pheasant and wild ducks. I prefer to buy my duck, and I am especially glad for duck breasts. There are many ways to prepare them and they really good with apples. This is one of my favorite ways to eat them.

Salad with Duck, Apple and Walnuts

Serves 4 as appetizer or a lunch serving

1 10 oz./300 gram boneless duck breasts with skin (more if this is going to be a lunch serving)

2 tbps. walnut oil/or another oil if you don’t want to spend the money, but the dressing is made with walnut oil and it is fantastic

salt

red salad, or a blanding of mixed salad leaves

2-3 apples, peeled and cut into dice

1 oz./30 grams chopped walnuts

Marinade:

1 oz./30 grams finely chopped walnuts

½ cup/1 dl walnut oil

2 tbsp. apple cider vinager

½ tsp. salt, and freshly ground pepper

To make duck, trim of any extra skin and score fat in a cross-hatch pattern. Heat a sauté over high heat until hot, add duck, skin side down, and cook for 8-10 minutes (depending on thickness of breast). Turn duck over, and cook 5-8 minutes. Remove duck from hat and let rest 3 minutes. Add apples to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

To make marinade, combine walnuts, oil, vinager, salt and pepper.

To make salad, rinse salad leaves and arrange on 4 plates. Slice duck in thin slices and divide on top of the salad leaves. Divide apples over the duck and salad, sprinkle chopped walnut over and pour a little of the marinade over.

Suggested accompaniment; flutes or a whole wheat bread