Warm Duck Salad

This is a Barefoot Contessa take on duck. Like most Barefoot Contessa recipes, it's open to a lot of interpretation. I often prefer strawberries to raspberries whenever strawberries are in season. Getting something flavorful should be the primary concern. There is just a ton of delicious duck and berries and orange and pecan in this recipe. It is filling and delicious as a perfect large lunch, light dinner, or first course.

The dressing I've always thought was a bit bland while making it, but this salad has so much going on, the very light dressing with a slight orange taste is just right. Just make sure you break out the 'good' olive oil as Contessa would say. I am upping the amount of orange zest from the original recipe and changing the mache to baby arugula and frisee, because my local Harris Teeter rarely carries mache, but frequently carries very good baby arugula. And who doesn't like a little frisee once in awhile?

The dressing and the duck will keep (although the "warm" part of warm duck salad won't be there), but salad is salad, so toss when ready to serve. A Barefoot Contessa trick for serving salad later....add the dressing to the bottom before the other ingredients and then toss at the end. Not really sure why this is easier from just storing the dressing in a measuring cup and adding at the end, but there you go.

Warm Duck Salad 

2	boneless duck breasts, skin on (pref. not frozen)
	Kosher salt
1	tablespoon minced shallots
2 1/2	tablespoons sherry vinegar
2	teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2	cup olive oil
3	heads Belgian endive
3	ounces baby arugula, mache or other delicate baby lettuce
	Frisee to taste (optional)
	Navel oranges, peeled, cut in 1/2, and sliced
1/2	pint fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries
1	cup toasted whole pecan halves

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the duck breasts on a sheet pan, skin side up. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a little pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, until medium-rare. 
3. Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. With a knife, remove and discard the fat and skin on top. Careful, the duck is still pretty warm. Slice the duck, and then cut the slices crosswise into julienned pieces.
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallots, sherry vinegar, orange zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
6. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.
7. For the salad, trim the bottom half-inch from the endive and cut them diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Separate the leaves and discard the cores. Place the slices in a large salad bowl. 
8. Add the arugula, frisee if using, oranges, strawberries/raspberries, and toasted pecans. Toss with enough dressing to moisten. Gently toss in the warm duck meat and serve immediately. Pepper to taste.