There’s something sacred about Sunday evenings. Maybe it’s the slow exhale at the end of the week, the quiet that falls over the city, or the creeping dread of Monday morning that makes the ritual feel more essential. For us, it’s always been the night we keep for each other – a small act of devotion in the noise of our restaurant-shaped lives.
Welcome to Sunday Club, a new series inspired by our own tradition: carving out time every week to cook something a little special. Not for work. Not for anyone else. Just for us. (PS If you sign up to the IndyEats newsletter, which lands at 7am every Saturday, you’ll get the recipe a day early – straight to your inbox.)
We live most of our lives in restaurants – talking about them, writing about them, thinking endlessly about what’s new, what’s next, what’s worth your time and money. It’s a noisy, brilliant, exhausting job, but it doesn’t leave much space for slow intimacy. For shopping together, cooking together, sitting down at a table with no agenda beyond the pleasure of eating well. That’s what Sunday Club is about. Sometimes we throw the kitchen sink at it. Sometimes we’re frugal and efficient. But always, we go all in on the ritual. We choose what we’re going to cook. We do the shop. We prep together, lay the table, pick a good bottle, light the candles. Put on a record. Then we sit and eat, and talk about everything and nothing, and for a moment, we’re nowhere but here.
This week, we’re kicking things off with a dish that feels like exactly what a Sunday should be: warm, classic, just indulgent enough. Crispy duck legs with pickled cherries and dauphinoise. A kind of effortless luxury that doesn’t ask too much of you, but gives plenty in return.
Duck is one of those things people tend to save for restaurants, which is exactly why we love cooking it at home. It feels a bit theatrical, a bit “are we really doing this?”, and yet, it’s barely more work than roasting a chicken thigh. A slow oven and some patience will reward you with golden, crackling skin and meat that falls off the bone. It feels extravagant, but it isn’t – not really. And that’s very Sunday Club.
The cherries, pickled in red wine vinegar with just a whisper of star anise, cut through the richness with a tart little wink. It’s the sharp accent that makes the duck sing – seasonal, yes, but also strangely essential. We’ve made a version of this with figs in the colder months, but cherries are what we want now: deep red and glossy, sticky and sour and sweet.
And then there’s the dauphinoise. Always the dauphinoise. There are few things more satisfying to make, or to eat, than this layered stack of creamy, golden potatoes. It’s pure comfort – buttery, garlicky, crisp-edged and soft-centred. And if you’re going to have duck, you might as well lean into the decadence and do it properly.
Altogether, it’s a plate that’s generous without being fussy. That feels like a treat without making a song and dance about it. The kind of meal you’d be happy to pay for in a candlelit corner of your favourite neighbourhood bistro – but which tastes better because you made it yourselves, on a quiet Sunday, in the little world you built together.
So, here’s to Sunday Club. To carving out time for joy. To switching off the notifications and turning up the record player. To cooking with love – for yourself, for someone you love, or just for the ritual of it.
Crispy duck legs with pickled cherries and dauphinoise
Serves: 2
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the duck:
2 duck legs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
For the pickled cherries:
150g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
100ml red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pink peppercorns (optional)
1 small piece of star anise (optional)
For the dauphinoise:
400g waxy potatoes (Charlotte or similar), peeled and very thinly sliced
200ml double cream
1 garlic clove, halved
25g Parmesan, finely grated
Butter, for greasing
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Prepare the duck (start 2 hours ahead): preheat the oven to 150C fan. Pat the duck legs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in a cold ovenproof frying pan and bring up to medium heat. Let the fat slowly render for about 10 minutes, until golden. Flip and brown the underside for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, then transfer to the oven and roast for 1½ hours, uncovered, turning once. When done, pour over a splash of vinegar and rest for 10 minutes.
2. Make the pickled cherries: while the duck is roasting, bring vinegar, sugar and spices to a simmer. Pour over the cherries in a small bowl or jar and leave to cool. These can be made hours in advance.
3. Make the dauphinoise: rub a small baking dish with the cut side of the garlic, then grease with butter. In a saucepan, gently heat the cream with a pinch of salt and pepper – don’t boil. Layer the sliced potatoes in the dish, seasoning lightly between layers. Pour over the hot cream and top with Parmesan. Bake at 160C fan for 1 hour, or until golden and tender.
4. Serve: plate up with a wedge of dauphinoise, the crispy duck leg on the side, and a spoonful of pickled cherries on top or nearby. A sharply dressed salad of bitter leaves wouldn’t go amiss.
Drink pairing: A lightly chilled Pinot Noir or Gamay. Something juicy, with a bit of bite to match the cherries.
