Duck Redux

I know I must not be a proper hippie, because I get too excited about the new smokehouse addition to Whole Food's butcher shop. Yes. I know my friends who eschew even leather shoes would be horrified, but I can't help myself. They have a triangle to ring when they set out free samples, and I think is must be awakening some deep-seated, Pavlovian reflex we Southerners possess.

One day, the free samples were entire ribs. They're training me. And I like it.

Anyway, I did a double-take as I passed this display on Friday. Hanging in the case was an entire smoked duck. And I thought the tag said they were $9.99 each. What a deal!

I hassled the first man who came to help me about where the ducks were from, and as he went to check, another came to wrap up the duck for me. I'm not up on my duck's rights arguments, and this is how I tried to silence the little voice that jumped up to make me feel guilty. Thankfully, the young man came back at about this time to show me the packaged ducks so I could read the label: Pitman Farms.

It was also about this time that it dawned on me that the little sign really said the ducks were $9.99 per pound. So much for frugality!

But really, when you think about it, that's really not so much. The whole duck cost $28, and we ate it all weekend. Six meals so far have managed to squeeze inside that $28, and I know six meals based off duck would never be that cheap in a restaurant. I recently had Peking duck in a restaurant in Manhattan, and it was $50 or so for the three of us. And yes, I thought that was reasonable. I love duck.

But wait, there's more. We've only managed to scratch the surface of the duckly goodness. I carved a little bit into tacos. I rendered the skin in a frying pan for some fantastic duck fat infused Yukon Gold fries. And then I broke down the carcass and the rest of the meat for cassoulet. I'm guessing that total, we'll squeeze another four dinners out of the little guy.

So, if you too noticed the ducks hanging at Whole Foods, or if you're lucky enough to live in Chinatown... Here's what to do with duck.


Duck Tacos for Two
4 tortillas
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 sweet potato
2 apricots
1 cup cooked duck meat
1 cup mache
sriracha

Turn on your broiler and set up a tray about 3 inches from the heat source. Dice the potato and slice the apricot thinly. If your apricots are sour, sprinkle with a little sugar. Toss potato and apricots together with vegetable oil, and spread on your baking sheet. Broil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the diced sweet potato is cooked through. You might need to turn once, depending on your oven. Meanwhile, heat your duck meat up on a plate with the tortillas laying on top. This will also serve to warm and soften the tortillas. To assemble, layer mache leaves, duck meat and warm apricot/sweet potato relish in the tortilla, and serve with sriracha to taste.

More Duck Tacos for Two
4 tortillas
1 sweet potato
1 red onion
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup fresh salsa (by this I mean a salsa that isn't cooked before being packaged, like Pace... cooked salsas tend to have a vinegary flavor to me. The fresh salsas are generally found in the refrigerated part of the store...)
1/4 cup beer
duck meat
mache

Again, preheat broiler and set tray near heat source. This time, quarter your potato and thinly slice the quarters longways. Quarter and thinly slice your red onion. Toss red onion and potato slices with vegetable oil and broil for about 3 minutes, until the potatoes are done and the onion looks a bit charred. Meanwhile, take a small pan and melt the little pat of butter in it. When the foam subsides, add your salsa and cook for about five minutes. You will smell a difference as you cook your salsa down a little: it will lose a little bit of the tang from the fresh tomatoes. Add your beer and turn up the heat a little to reduce a bit. This is one of my favorite ways to use up old salsas, and the result is reminiscent of ranchero sauce.

Again, heat your duck meat in the microwave with the tortillas. To assemble, layer your mache and duck with the sliced potatos and onion, and then top with the sauce you made. Serve remaining potatoes and onion as a side dish with more sauce and cheese if you like.


Duck Hash

1 cup worth of fatty bits from your duck
6 yukon gold potatoes
1 red onion

Set your frying pan on the stove at medium, and allow it to preheat. Add duck bits and stir until the fat is rendered. Scoop out the bits with a spoon and reserve (you're basically making duck-pork rinds, which may sound either appealing or disgusting to you, but they are DELICIOUS). Slice your potatoes into a convenient shape for frying and let them get nice and crispy and brown in your rendered duck fat. Swoon. Remove potatoes and drain on paper towels, then add the red onion, which you will have sliced thinly. Once your onions get a touch caramelized, drain off the fat and toss the potatoes and crispy bits back in the pan to rewarm. This was fantastic with a fried egg on top. Do not tell your cardiologist.

Utterly Inauthentic Cassoulet
(But it could be quick, if you used a purchased and substituted chicken stock... that's the time consuming part)

for the stock:
1 meaty duck carcass, skin removed
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp peppercorns
water to cover (about 10 cups I would say)

Place everything in a stockpot and add water to cover. Bring it to just about a boil, then crank the heat down to simmer, skimming the top from time to time. Allow this to cook for two or three hours, and I personally don't cover my stock and then reduce it... I let it simmer uncovered because I am lazy.

1 sweet potato, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sopprasetta, diced
1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
3 pork sausages, casings removed and broken up
2 cups duck meat
1.5 cups duck stock
1 cup beer
1-2 cups coarse breadcrumbs
1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Saute the potato, celery, onion and garlic until translucent, then add sopprasetta. Cook until the vegetables and sausage are starting to brown. Remove from the pan and reserve. Add your beans to this mixture and stir to combine. Add your crumbled sausage to the pan and allow it to brown. Deglaze your pan with the beer, then add tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a deep casserole dish (I used two, a 9-inch square and a round 8 inches in diameter), and spread a layer of the bean mixture across the bottom. layer duck meat on top, and then use a spoon to remove the sausage and tomatoes from the pan, adding that on top. Repeat layers, then top with bread crumbs. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. This is wonderful over rice, with crusty bread.