Duck on Tuesday

A friend of Linda’s used to complain about living with a guy who cooks. “You get to eat, yes, but it can be a little strange. Duck on Monday! Who has duck on Monday?”

But this was Tuesday, and last Saturday grocery had a really big moulard duck breast in the cooler for a a very nice price. Why not?

After breakfast, I liberally salted and peppered the duck breast, sprinkled it with a spoonful of sugar, and dropped it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. When I came home, I put it skin-side down into a lightly-oiled skillet and started cooking it on a moderate flame.

While it cooked – and this giant took a good 25 minutes on the skin side and 10 on the other side – Linda mixed some romaine, some left-over spinach and feta, a handful of chopped walnuts, and a small handful of chopped, dried figs. Dressing? Balsamic and sherry vinegar, walnut oil, a little olive oil, and a splash of water. (Linda used a splash of sherry instead. Go Linda.)

We had it with a nice little bottle of Castello d'Alba, an $8 wine from the far end of the Douro where we visited last year during WikiSym.