I love duck best in the fall, so I’m quick to work another autumnal favorite, grapes, into this meal. Though tart green grapes are specified, any variety would work here. I like Concords, for example.

This side is really more of a savory-sweet-tart garnish that cuts through the gamy meat. To make it more robust, bulk up the recipe with extra greens and serve this tangle over a smear of the Garlic and Pine Nut Emulsion (recipe follows). – Justin Smillie, chef of Upland

Ingredients

• ¼ pound large-leaf spinach, dandelion greens, or other medium bodied green, stems on 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Fine sea salt and freshly cracked white peppercorns
• 2 cups green grapes, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 2 celery stalks, sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

Instructions

Char the Greens

1. Toss the greens in a bowl with i tablespoon of the olive oil. Gather a few spinach leaves together, gripping them by their stem ends. Using the grill setup described in the preceding duck recipe, lay the tips of the leaves on the grate, in the hottest part of the grill.
2. Slowly drag the leaves back and forth across the grate so the leaves start to wilt and lightly char on both sides. Set the charred leaves on a baking sheet and char the remaining spinach in this same fashion. Season with salt.

Assemble the Salad

1. In a large bowl, toss the grapes with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set the grapes aside and let them marinate for 10 minutes. Toss the celery, lemon zest, and charred leaves into the bowl with the grapes until evenly combined. Serve immediately.