Duck Breast with Amaro Lucano, Potato Foam and Spices

Method

1. Trim the fat and skin from the duck breast.
2. Prepare the marinade: combine water, Amaro Lucano, juniper berries, bay leaves, wild fennel, and sweet paprika. Bring to a boil, then cool to about 25°C (room temperature).
3. Submerge the duck breast in the cold marinade and marinate for 2 to 2.5 hours.
4. Bake the potatoes with their skins on at 180°C for 45 minutes.
5. Peel and chop the baked potatoes into small pieces, then sauté them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, smoked salt, basil, thyme, and pepper.
6. After marinating, pat the duck breast dry with a cloth.
7. Sear the duck breast in a pan with olive oil, a garlic clove in its skin, rosemary, and a bay leaf until the skin is caramelized.
8. Transfer the duck breast to the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.
9. Mash the sautéed potatoes with a potato ricer, adding some of the cooking oil, more basil, thyme, and pepper to form a creamy foam/spuma.
10. Prepare the Amaro Lucano emulsion: in a pan, deglaze with a little Amaro Lucano to burn off the alcohol, then add saba (cooked grape must), vanilla salt, lemon peel (including a bit of the white pith), and pepper. Cook briefly.
11. To plate: spread a bed of potato foam, slice the duck breast (french cut into 3 pieces), arrange on the foam, drizzle with some cooking juices and a thread of extra virgin olive oil, garnish with the Amaro Lucano emulsion and a few peppercorns.