The Duck Dilemma
February 19, 2008
“Potatoes cooked in duck fat,” mused Alex, “are even better than duck cooked in duck fat.” We were just finishing a dinner of roasted potatoes, spinach salad, and canned duck confit, which my brother and sister-in-law brought back from France for me as a birthday gift. The confit was by far the best thing I’ve ever tasted from a can (although the tinned foie gras pâté that was also part of the present may raise the bar once again).
I browned the duck in a skillet right before serving. The crisp skin and salty, tender meat were magnificent. Alex had recently ordered duck confit at Gaslight, a new French bistro in Boston, and this canned product humbled that restaurant’s pathetic attempt, which we enjoyed well enough at the time.
But was it better than the potatoes? I coated some yukon golds with some of the excess fat from the confit, and then roasted them until the outsides were a crisp brown. The insides remained sweet and creamy, and the rich duck flavor elevated the humble potato to the ultimate level of sophistication. This dish was definitely worth the every single one of its infinite calories.
It is a close call between the duck and potatoes. I obviously need much more study to answer this profound question. Lucky for me, amazon.com sells the source material necessary for my research.
Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut your potatoes into 1/2 inch wedges, and coat with salt, pepper and duck fat which has been heated until liquid. Place in oven on a roasting pan covered with foil, skin side up. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the bottom is well browned. Remove foil and flip potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes and then flip potatoes again. Cook until the skins are wrinkly about another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
February 27, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Drool! Yum. Duck breasts pan-fried are so good, but I suspect I prepare them merely for the joy of eating the skin–and yes, using the fat. Yukon Golds rock!
In Beijing I once purchased a duck with the goal of roasting it in my toaster oven and serving it to Brian and a friend for an elegant dinner. I thought I’d easily be able to buy plump, robust fowl in Beijing being as it’s the home of kao ya, as we both know; sadly, the over-fragrant poultry market in Tuanjie Hu carried suspiciously slender and scrawny specimens. No matter, I took the thing home and bunged it in the toaster oven, thinking it would be done in a couple of hours. Six hours or so later I was still siphoning off an abundant and unctuous ooze of duck fat from the damned carcass, and the thing STILL seemed to need more roasting time.
During the BU program we did duck breasts on the stove top. Way easier and worked much better. Although, no duck stock for glorious soup then next day…xo
March 1, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I use (and sell at a farmers market in London) goose fat for making roast potatoes and the recipe is a bit different. I peel the potatoes and then par-boil them for about 10 minutes then drain and shake the saucepan to break up (slightly) the edges of the potatoes. While the potatoes have been boiling I have been heating goose fat (or duck fat) in the oven. I place the pan with the hot fat on the hob on medium heat and gradually add the potatoes turning them so that they get coated in fat. I then return to a hot oven and roast for 45-60 minutes. The results are super-crispy. One tip – don’t be tempted to turn the potatoes they will do just fine as they are.