• 4 medium duck breasts, about 8 ounces each
• 1 cup bacon lardons*
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 6 cups Brussel sprout leaves
• 1 cup peeled, roasted chestnuts, sliced into quarters
• 1 cup duck or chicken stock
• Sunchoke Puree, recipe follows

1. Trim the excess fat from the edges of the duck breasts. Score the skin in a diamond pattern. Cut through the skin and fat just to, but not into the meat. Reserve in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Saute the bacon lardons over medium heat until they have rendered much of their fat and are crisp-chewy. Drain and reserve in a warm place near the stove.

3. Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the breasts with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of thyme leaves.

4. Add the breasts to the pan skin side down. Cook slowly to allow the fat to render from the skin. Cook until the skin is crisp and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the breast over and continue to for 8 to 10 minutes for medium. Remove to a plate to rest before slicing.

5. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Place the pan over medium high heat, add the bacon and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow it to exude some fat, if the bacon is dry add a little olive oil to the pan to moisten. Add the Brussel sprouts and chestnuts, season with a little salt and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the leaves start to wilt. Add the stock to the pan and quickly reduce by half over high heat.

6. Slice the duck and arrange over a spoonful of sunchoke puree. Spoon the Brussel Sprouts, lardons and chestnuts around with some juices over the top.

*To make lardons, slice 6 thick cut pieces of bacon 1/4 inch thick across the width. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Add to a saute pan and cook over medium heat until golden but still soft and chewy.

Sunchoke Puree

Sunchokes are the tuberous root of a native American sunflower plant. They are also called Jerusalem Artichokes because their slightly sweet taste is similar to that of an artichoke. If you can’t find them substitute mashed sweet potatoes.

• 1/2 pounds large Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Peel the sunchokes and reserve in cold water to keep them from turning color. Cut off the knobs and peel individually to make peeling easier.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and cook until the sunchokes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and puree in a food processor until smooth.

3. Heat the cream and butter together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually add the cream mixture to the pureed sunchokes, with the machine running, until the consistency is smooth and light, season with salt to taste.

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