Stuffed Duck Breast with Cabbage and Dumplings

Instructions

Toss the shredded cabbage with the minced onion in a large bowl. Stir the vinegar, salt and sugar together, pour it over the cabbage, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Heat the oven to 200°C. Clean the duck, trim the clumps of fat from the tail, and rinse the bird well. Rub it all over with butter and season inside and out with salt, pepper and marjoram.

Fill the duck with the peeled apples and close the cavity. Set it breast-side up in a roasting pan deep enough to catch the rendered fat, and roast for about 15 minutes.

Take the duck out, baste it, and turn it breast-side down for another 15 minutes. Keep basting and turning every 15 minutes, allowing roughly an hour per kilogram, so about 2½ hours in all. Around 20 minutes before the end, brush on more butter for crisp skin. The duck is done when the skin is deep brown and crisp. Switch off the oven and rest it for 10 minutes.

For the dumplings, put the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the milk over them, using more or less depending on how dry the bread is. Mix the melted butter with the eggs, salt, nutmeg and parsley, and add this to the bread.

Squeeze the mixture through your fingers until it is smooth and sticky. If it is too loose, work in 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour to firm it up.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Shape the dough into small balls, drop them in carefully, and simmer for about 30 minutes until light, firm and risen. Lift them out with a large spoon. Alternatively, shape one roll, wrap it in a wet dishtowel, tie both ends tightly, and simmer it for about 30 minutes.

Remove the apples from the duck and carve it. Pour the dark gravy into a separate cup. Slice the towel-cooked dumpling into thick rounds, or transfer the drained dumpling balls to a dish.

Serve the duck and dumplings hot with the cabbage salad and a fruity red wine.