Spatchcock Duck Salad with Grilled Peaches & Blackberry Dressing

Serves 3-4, takes 1 hour 30 minutes

Spatchcocking your duck will speed up the cooking time and is especially well suited to barbecuing, however if the sun isn’t on your side then it will fare just as nicely in the oven.

The combination of fruity sweetness and saltiness from this dressing wonderfully contrasts your more earthy duck meat. We like to serve it on a big platter to really impress guests, enjoy in the sunshine as a leisurely lunch or supper – perhaps with a chilled glass of Saint-Véran for good measure…

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C
2. Place the spatchcocked duck on a baking tray and sprinkle the skin with a pinch of salt. Pop in the oven for 1 hour or until the internal temp reaches 75°C.
3. Remove from the oven once cooked, then drain the fat and store in the fridge – this is liquid gold for roast potatoes! Cover with foil and a tea towel, allow to rest for 30 minutes.
4. Whilst the duck is resting, set a griddle pan on a medium heat. Chargrill the peach slices for a couple of minutes on each side until char marks form, then set aside to cool.
5. To make the blackberry dressing, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a loose dressing, taste and adjust your seasoning as needed.
6. Place the red onion slices onto a large platter and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then leave to sit for a couple of minutes. This softens their texture and sweetens the flavour.
7. Tip the watercress onto the platter and toss with the red onions then dot the chargrilled peaches in and around the leaves.
8. Portion the duck into leg and breast meat. Slice the breasts into generous pieces and sit alongside the salad on the platter along with the legs.
9. Grate over the frozen goats cheese, drizzle liberally with the blackberry dressing, and serve.

• Whole Botterill’s 100-Day Duck, spatchcocked (ask your butcher to do this, or request in the order notes at checkout)
• Salt
• 5 peaches, stone removed and sliced into segments
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bag of watercress
• Goats cheese, frozen for grating

For the Blackberry Dressing:

• 150g blackberries
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil