Chinese Five-Spice Roasted Duck Legs with Lentils and Cherries
Photography Josh Griggs.
The perfect combination of sweet and sour with tart cherries complementing the rich, meaty duck legs and a hearty salad of lentils and green beans.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
4 duck legs (thigh and drumstick)
sea salt, ground pepper and ground Chinese five-spice
Mustard dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
sea salt and ground pepper
Salad
¾ cup puy lentils, cooked as per packet instructions
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
good handful fresh herbs ripped coarsely (I used mint and parsley)
250 grams green beans, blanched
680-gram jar pitted cherries, drained
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
Season both sides of the duck with salt and pepper then sprinkle the flesh side with a little five-spice powder.
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the duck, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is golden. Transfer to a shallow roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes or until tender.
Mustard dressing: Whisk all the ingredients together to make a thick emulsified dressing. Season.
Salad: Place the cooked puy lentils and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with ¾ of the dressing.
To serve: Divide the salad between plates. Top with a duck leg, then drizzle over the remaining dressing.
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We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.







