Duck breast ballotine wrapped in pancetta with a shot of beetroot purée

Preparation method

1. Boil the whole beetroots in a large pan of salted water for about 30-45 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. For the ballotines, trim off the thin tail ends of the duck breasts and set them aside for the stuffing. Place each duck breast between two sheets of cling film and flatten them using a meat mallet or rolling pin, trying to keep them as square as possible. They should be about 5mm/¼in thick. Wrap the breasts in greaseproof paper and set aside.

3. For the stuffing, place the parsley in a food processor with the garlic and shallots and pulse until everything is finely chopped.

4. Remove the bone from the duck thigh and chop the meat with the trimmings from the duck breasts. Add the meat to the food processor and pulse until well mixed and finely chopped. Place the mixture into a bowl and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Lay six rashers of pancetta on a large piece of cling film, all facing the same way and slightly overlapping each other. (NB: Not every type of cling film is suitable for using with all foods. Check the description on the packaging to see what foods and what temperatures it can be used with.) Place a trimmed duck breast on top, at right angles to the layers of pancetta, then add half the stuffing. Roll up into a tight log shape, using the clingfilm to help keep the ballotine tight. Trim the overlapping pancetta and wrap tightly in cling film, twisting the ends to make an even sausage shape. Repeat with the remaining pancetta, duck and stuffing.

6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the ballotines and poach for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and leave to rest.

7. To finish the purée, peel the beetroot while still warm and cut into small chunks. Place in a food processor with butter and cream. Blend until smooth and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pass through a fine sieve, pour into four shot glasses and set aside in a warm place.

8. Remove the cling film from the ballotines. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and gently cook the ballotines until golden-brown, seasoning to taste while cooking. Leave the ballotines to rest for 10 minutes, then carve each one into four slices.

9. Serve the ballotines with the orange slices, frisée and shot glasses of beetroot.

1-2 hours preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4