Magret with Red Wine and Shallots

Perfectly cooked medium-rare magret — duck breast — is a delight: rosy, juicy, tender, super-flavorful, and extremely French. We like to keep it simple, bathing it in a simple pan sauce made by sweating shallots in the pan while the magret rests, then deglazing it with red wine. It’s a dish that has confounded many a good cook, as it’s easy to overcook. The trick is cooking it long enough so that much of the thick layer of fat under the skin renders, but not so long that it’s overcooked: It’s best eaten medium-rare, or just a shade past. If you take it slow and cook it low, you can get a gorgeous crisp skin and perfect deep pink juicy flesh every time. Be sure to let it rest the full 10 minutes, and it’ll be marvelously tender. Serve it with haricots verts and (if you’re feeling expansive) roasted potatoes, a gratin dauphinois or potatoes sautéed in duck fat.

“How to cook France’s favorite dish, something most Americans have never even heard of”

Which reminds us: Be sure to save the duck fat you drain from the pan before making the sauce. Simply strain it into a heatproof jar. It keeps covered and refrigerated for six months or more.

Finally, you can make this dish in less than half an hour, but do remember to take the duck breasts out of the refrigerator an hour before you’re going to cook them to let them come up to temperature. That way they’ll lay flat in the pan, and you can also control the cooking more easily.

(NOTE: Duck breasts can be purchased at very well stocked supermarkets, or online at D’Artagnan. If you’re buying shrink-wrapped duck breasts that come two to a package, try to get a pack that’s close to a pound; often they’re more like three-quarters of a pound. If you can only find smaller ones and you’re hearty eaters, you might add one small one. If you’d like to double the number of duck breasts, don’t quite double all the sauce ingredients; double the shallots but use about 2/3 cup red wine, 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons butter.)

Serves two.

Ingredients

2 duck breasts, about 8 ounces (225 grams) each, removed from the refrigerator 30 minutes to 1 hour before ready to use

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper