# Five-Spice Duck Breast with Cherries, Chicken-Fat Potatoes and Chanterelle-Miso Peas > Crisp-skinned, five-spice duck gets a generous spoonful of warm cherries and a sharp, savory pan sauce. Chicken-fat potatoes bring deeply browned edges, while snap peas and English peas glossed with chanterelle-miso butter keep this late-spring Shabbat dinner bright and green. - URL: https://www.chezjk.com/recipes/five-spice-duck-breast-with-cherry-red-wine-sauce-chicken-fat-potatoes-peas-with - Author: Jonathan Katzman - Cooked and photographed: 2026-05-22 - Recipe updated: 2026-10-23 - Serves: 4 servings - Tags: gluten-free, nut-free ![Five-Spice Duck Breast with Cherries, Chicken-Fat Potatoes and Chanterelle-Miso Peas](https://www.chezjk.com/api/images?path=9e5d6860-dd86-455e-b57b-e352c363fc57%2F9e3aae94f2d9cb01.jpg) ## Five-Spice Duck Breast Starting skin-side down in a cold pan renders the fat gradually, giving the skin time to crisp before the breast overcooks. Keeping most of the spice on the flesh side prevents scorching. ### Ingredients - 4 skin-on boneless duck breasts, about 8 oz each - 1½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder - 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¾ tsp fine sea salt - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper - 1 tsp avocado oil ### Instructions 1. Pat the duck very dry. Score the skin in a shallow crosshatch, cutting through the fat without cutting into the meat. 2. Season all over with salt. Rub the five-spice and pepper mostly onto the flesh side, with only a light dusting on the skin. If time allows, refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes, then blot the skin dry again. 3. Film two cold heavy skillets with the avocado oil and arrange the breasts skin-side down without crowding. Set over medium-low heat and cook for 12–18 minutes, pouring off rendered fat periodically into a heatproof container. The skin should become deep golden and crisp; reduce the heat if the spices darken too quickly. 4. Turn the breasts and cook the flesh side over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes. Briefly hold the edges against the pan with tongs if needed. Check the temperature horizontally through the side of each breast. 5. For pink duck matching the dish, remove at 130–135°F and rest skin-side up for 8–10 minutes; the temperature should rise a few degrees. Reserve the resting juices for the cherry sauce. Slice across the grain just before serving. ### Notes - Pink duck is below the USDA recommendation of 165°F for poultry and carries greater food-safety risk. For the conservative endpoint, cook to 165°F, using a 350°F oven after rendering if needed; the meat will no longer be pink. - Breast thickness varies considerably, so use temperature rather than the clock. Save the rendered duck fat for another meal; the potatoes here use chicken fat. ## Warm Cherry-Shallot Sauce Briefly cooked cherry halves retain their shape while releasing enough juice to make a glossy sauce. Wine and vinegar balance the richness of the duck without turning the fruit into a sweet compote. ### Ingredients - 1 tsp ghee - 1 large shallot, finely diced - 12 oz fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved - ½ cup dry red wine - ½ cup unsalted gluten-free chicken or duck stock - 2 tsp red wine vinegar, plus more to taste - ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste - 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper ### Instructions 1. Melt the ghee in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened but not browned. 2. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by about half, 4–6 minutes. 3. Add the stock, cherries, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 5–8 minutes, until the cherries soften but mostly hold their shape and the liquid lightly coats a spoon. 4. Stir in the vinegar and any duck resting juices. Taste and adjust the salt and acidity. Keep warm over very low heat without continuing to reduce. ### Notes - If the sauce becomes jammy, loosen it with a splash of stock or water. If it is watery, briefly lift out the cherries, reduce the liquid, then return the fruit. ## Chicken-Fat Roasted Potatoes Parboiling produces creamy centers and slightly rough surfaces that brown readily in chicken fat. A hot, uncrowded roasting tray gives the cut faces a substantial crust. ### Ingredients - 2 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on, halved or quartered into 1½-inch pieces - ¼ cup rendered chicken fat - 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided, plus salt for the cooking water - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ### Instructions 1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a heavy rimmed sheet pan inside. 2. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the outsides are tender but the centers still offer a little resistance. 3. Drain thoroughly and let steam-dry for 3–5 minutes. Shake gently in the saucepan to roughen the cut edges. 4. Toss with the chicken fat, ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper. Carefully spread over the hot sheet pan in one layer, with broad cut faces down. 5. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning after about 20 minutes, until deeply browned and tender throughout. Taste and add the remaining salt as needed. ### Notes - Keep the potatoes uncovered after roasting so trapped steam does not soften the crust. ## Sugar Snap Peas and English Peas with Chanterelle-Miso Butter A brief blistering gives snap peas a little char while leaving them crisp. Adding the miso butter off heat preserves its mushroom aroma and creates a glossy coating rather than a fried paste. ### Ingredients - 12 oz sugar snap peas, strings removed - 1½ cups shelled fresh English peas - 1 tbsp avocado oil - 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened - 1½ tbsp Shared Cultures chanterelle miso, confirmed gluten-free - 2 tbsp water, plus more as needed - 1 tsp fresh lemon juice ### Instructions 1. Mash the softened butter and chanterelle miso together until evenly combined. 2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the English peas and cook for 1–3 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Drain well. 3. Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil, then the dry snap peas. Cook for 2–3 minutes, turning occasionally, until a few pods blister. 4. Add 2 tablespoons water and cover for 1 minute to finish cooking the snap peas. Uncover and add the English peas. 5. Remove from the heat and toss with the miso butter and lemon juice. Add another splash of water if needed to form a light, glossy coating. Taste before adding any salt and serve immediately. ### Notes - Use a wide enough skillet to avoid crowding; prolonged steaming makes the snap peas limp. - Confirm the miso's ingredients or manufacturer guidance before serving the meal as gluten-free. ## Overall Timing / Workflow The potatoes tolerate a few extra minutes in the oven, while the duck needs a deliberate rest. Cooking the peas during that rest brings everything to the table without sacrificing their texture. ### Instructions 1. 0:00 — Heat the oven and sheet pan. Score and season the duck, then refrigerate uncovered while preparing the vegetables. 2. 0:10 — Start parboiling the potatoes. Pit the cherries, dice the shallot, trim the snap peas and mix the miso butter. 3. 0:25 — Put the potatoes into the oven. Start the cherry sauce in a saucepan. 4. 0:35 — Start rendering the duck in two skillets. Turn the potatoes when their undersides are well browned. Finish the cherry sauce and hold warm. 5. 0:55 — Check the duck temperature and remove each breast when ready. Rest skin-side up. Check the potatoes and leave them roasting if they need more color. 6. During the duck's rest — Blanch the English peas, blister the snap peas and finish both with miso butter. Add the duck resting juices to the cherry sauce. 7. About 1:05 — Slice the duck and plate everything immediately. Allow extra time if cooking the duck to 165°F. ## Plating Keeping the vegetables and potatoes beside the duck preserves their distinct textures. Spoon the cherries around and partly over the meat while leaving some crisp skin exposed. ### Instructions 1. Arrange each sliced duck breast in a loose fan on a warm plate. 2. Spoon warm cherries and a little sauce around and across the slices, avoiding soaking all of the skin. 3. Add a generous cluster of peas alongside the duck and pile the chicken-fat potatoes at the other end of the plate. 4. Serve any remaining cherry sauce separately. ## Leftover Path Separate storage prevents the sauce from softening the potatoes and duck skin. Gentle reheating protects the duck from drying out, while dry oven heat restores the potatoes. ### Instructions 1. Refrigerate the duck, cherry sauce, potatoes and peas in separate shallow containers within 2 hours. Use within 3–4 days. 2. Reheat potatoes on a sheet pan at 425°F for 10–15 minutes, until hot and crisp. 3. Warm the cherry sauce in a small covered pan. Add sliced duck with a splash of water or stock and heat gently until it reaches 165°F; it will lose its pink center. 4. Warm the peas briefly in a covered pan with a spoonful of water, just until hot. Alternatively, serve cold sliced duck with cherries and peas as a composed lunch salad. --- From ChezJK (https://www.chezjk.com), Jonathan Katzman's public home-cooking archive: every meal he has photographed, written up as a recipe you can cook.