Goosnargh duck confit and duck breast with spiced roasted plums and Lancashire black peas

Preparation method

1. For the duck confit, sprinkle one tablespoon of the sea salt in a casserole dish and lay the duck legs over, skin side up.

2. Place the remaining salt along with the freshly ground black pepper, thyme, bay leaf and star anise into a mortar and pound with a pestle to a rough mixture. Rub this mixture over the duck legs and top with the garlic and shallot slices.

3. Cover the dish with cling film and leave to cure in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Soak the black peas (see below) at the same time, according to packet instructions.

4. After 24 hours, gently brush off the mixture from the duck legs and discard.

5. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

6. Place the duck legs into a clean casserole dish and pour over the duck fat. Cook in the oven for three hours, or until the duck is very tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the fat.

7. For the duck breast with plums, increase the heat of the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

8. Score the skin of the duck breasts in a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife.

   Technique: Scoring skin

9. Place four teaspoons of the chopped thyme, two teaspoons of the black pepper and one teaspoon of the salt into a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the duck breasts, on both sides, and set aside for ten minutes.

10. Meanwhile, place the plums on a baking sheet. Mix the remaining thyme, black pepper and salt with the olive oil and sugar until well combined, then rub the mixture over the plums.

11. Cook the plums in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until the skins start to wrinkle. Turn the plums over and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and keep warm until ready to serve.

12. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan and place the duck breasts in, skin-side down. Cook over a medium heat until most of the fat has rendered and the skin is golden-brown and crisp. Turn the duck breasts over and place into the hot oven, skin-side up, for 7-8 minutes (for medium rare), or until the duck breasts are cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest. Keep warm.

13. For the new potatoes, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 7-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then lightly crush.

14. Cook the peas in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then drain and mix with the crushed potatoes. Stir in the butter and the finely chopped mint and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Technique: Learning to chop: finely chopping celery

15. For the black peas, heat a frying pan and add the butter. When the butter is foaming, add the thyme and the soaked and boiled black peas and heat through for 3-4 minutes.

16. To serve, spoon the black peas onto four serving plates and place a duck leg on top. Thickly slice the duck breast and arrange on the plate alongside the duck leg. Spoon the new potatoes next to the duck and place three roasted plum halves on each plate.

Overnight preparation time

Over 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4