Slow-roasted duck breast

Here is a recipe with the shortest list of ingredients you can imagine: 2 moulard duck breasts, salt, pepper. No fat, no onion, no garlic, no spice, no herb, no rub, no marinade, no waiting.

And it tastes great! Molly Stevens does not hesitate to simply describe techniques in her All About Roasting, without dolling them up with superfluous directions or ingredients. Here you just use a sharp knife to cut a cross-hatch pattern in the skin (don't pierce through to the flesh), sear the duck breasts skin-side down in a skillet for 5-6 minutes (no need for extra fat since they start rendering fat immediately), then put on a flat rack on a sheet pan skin-side up into a 200-degree oven for 50 minutes, or until 135 degrees internal temperature for rare and 145 to 150 for medium rare (our choice).

The slow roast leaves the breasts juicy and tender, while the salt and pepper enhance the slightly gamy flavor of the duck and its fat. Just slice and serve, no further ingredients needed.

Stevens suggests using some of the rendered duck fat to saute greens as an accompaniment. We used a Brussels sprouts recipe from About.com, of all places, instead. This involved gently sauteeing diced bacon starting in a cold skillet until it renders fat and turns golden. Add the Brussels sprouts -- halved or quartered depending on how crunchy you want them -- and saute for a few minutes. Then add chicken stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in some butter and a squeeze of lemon juice and adjust seasonin at the end.

This is a great technique for preserving the green cabbagy flavor of the sprouts. The braising disperses the grease so it does not distract from or overpower the vegetable taste.