1 1/2 c Kosher salt
2 c Water
2 Whole boneless duck breasts,
-with skin
Make a brine with the salt and water. Make sure an egg will float in
it; if not, add salt. Immerse duck breasts. Place a piece of plastic
wrap over the bowl and a small plate over the wrap to weight the duck
so that it is completely submerged. Refrigerate for 6 hours to cure
the duck.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove duck breasts from solution, and pat dry
with paper towels. Place an iron skillet over medium-low heat. Lay
duck breasts skin side down, and cook until skin is crisp and browned,
12-15 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet, skin side down, and bake
in oven for 3-4 minutes.
Reserve skillet, keeping the fat in it, for preparing root vegetable
risotto. Remove duck from oven, slice thin on the diagonal and
keep warm until time to serve. Serve with Root Vegetable Risotto.
