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Wild Duck over Buttercup Squash Mash

Seared duck breast, pink & rested, on sweet buttercup mash · steamed broccoli alongside

Serves 2–3 · 20 min

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  • The duck
  • 2–3 wild duck breasts, patted dry (skinless is typical & fine)
  • salt & pepper · a little neutral oil · 1 Tbsp butter · thyme (optional)
  • Buttercup squash mash
  • 1 buttercup squash (~2–3 lb)
  • 2–3 Tbsp butter · salt
  • optional: splash of milk/cream · pinch nutmeg · drizzle maple
  • The broccoli
  • 1 large head broccoli, cut in florets
  • butter or olive oil · squeeze of lemon · salt · optional: a little garlic
What you need
  1. Roast the squash first. Oven to 400°F. Halve the buttercup, scoop the seeds, and roast cut-side down on a lined sheet until a knife slides in easily, 40–50 min. Scoop the flesh, mash with butter and salt (a splash of milk, a pinch of nutmeg, a drizzle of maple if you like). Keep it warm.
  2. Dry & season the duck. Pat the breasts bone-dry and salt well — treat them like steaks. Most wild duck is breasted out skinless; any thin skin left on won't render like Pekin, so don't count on it for fat or crisp — just dry it well and sear it like the meat. Wet meat steams instead of searing.
  3. Sear hard, like a steak. Rip a cast-iron pan hot with a thin film of oil until it's just smoking. Lay the breasts in and don't move them — 2–3 min for a deep brown crust, then flip for 1–2 min more. Work in batches so the pan stays screaming hot; a crowded pan steams them gray.
  4. Butter-baste & pull at pink. In the last minute add the butter (and thyme) and spoon it over, then pull at deep pink — 130–135°F. It climbs as it rests; take it off under, never over.
  5. Steam the broccoli. While the duck cooks, steam the florets over an inch of boiling water 4–5 min — bright green and crisp-tender, not army-drab. Toss with butter or oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt (a little garlic if you want).
  6. Rest & plate. Rest the duck 5 min, then slice across the grain. A bed of squash mash, the sliced duck fanned over, broccoli alongside. Flaky salt to finish.
Steps — tap one to keep your place

✨ Untested — Claude drafted this one from scratch; it hasn't been cooked and amended in our kitchen yet, so treat the amounts as a starting point. No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.

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