Duck Fat Friday
My favorite day of the week…and hopefully it will become a nationally recognized holiday. Just saying.
The perfect combination of savory, sweet, and tangy. Your tastebuds will thank me later.
I am not known to have patience. But when I do, it’s only for duck confit. Yes, this dish takes TIME. But believe me, it’s well worth it at the end.
I had an entire duck to work with, so I had to do some carving, but if you have access to duck legs I recommend using those.
Confit is a method of slow-cooking meat in its own fat. It makes the meat tender beyond belief and unbelievably flavorful.
This meal does take some forethought, so be sure to plan ahead.
Duck Confit
Ingredients:
1 Duck (or 2 duck legs)
Rosemary
Thyme
Garlic
Rendered Duck Fat
Salt
Directions:
First you need to cure the duck. Liberally cover the duck in salt. I used this time to add the thyme, rosemary, and garlic to the mix as well. Put the duck in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate up to 2 days.
On cook day, remove the duck and rinse off the seasonings and salt. Yes, rinse it allllll off! Place the duck in an oven-friendly dish (I prefer a dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet.)
Heat oven to 200°F.
Add in fresh garlic cloves (whole), fresh rosemary and fresh thyme and SMUTHER the duck in rendered duck fat. Depening on the size of the dish/duck, it can take anywhere from 2-6 cups of fat. Pro-tip, get jarred rendered duck fat. It will make your life much easier. This way, you won’t have to pre-render the duck for its fat. Some grocery stores, like Wegman’s, sells them, but these days you can get almost anything on the internet, so hit up Google!
Once your duck is situated, pour in the rendered fat—enough so the duck is fully submerged. Put it in the oven and wait. This needs to cook for at least 6 hours, but can go for longer. Be sure to check on the duck periodically to make sure it is not overcooked. If the meat and/or skin starts to turn to gelatin, you’ve gone too far.
Fastfoward six hours: the duck is confited. You are hungry. At this point, the duck should literally be falling off the bone. Remove from fat with slotted spoon and shred with two forks. For storage, spoon some duck fat in to the container. It’ll keep much better than if stored dry.
You’ve now reached the next level!
Flatbread
Ingredients:
Flatbread Pizza Crust
Arugula
Mushrooms
Herbed Goat Cheese Spread
Balsamic Reduction Glaze
Onions
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp Sugar
Butter
Directions:
Heat oven to 425°F. While waiting start on the apple cider vinegar caramelized onions. Thinly slice 1/2 onion. Add to hot pan with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until brown. Pour in apple cider vinegar and sugar, and turn heat to low. Let simmer while you work on the flatbreads.
Lightly brush olive oil on flatbread. Spread the cheese, add the shredded duck confit, and some mushrooms. Bake for 8 min or until dough is crispy and golden brown. Once removed from oven, add on arugula, caramelized onions, and top with some balsamic reduction glaze.
Take your first bite. Remember earlier when I said you’d thank me later? It’s later.
