Grassie de Canard

Truth be told, I roast a lot of ducks just so I can have a ready supply of duck fat on hand. This dense, flavorful fat lends depth and character to anything it touches. I use it to make the best fried potatoes in the greater western hemisphere. Duck fat is a key ingredient in making confit, will explode the flavor of caramelized onions and heighten the taste of most other fried vegetables.

Roasting a duck is just about the same as roasting chicken from a practical standpoint. The differences of course lie in the results. Duck does not taste like chicken. It does not exactly cook like chicken either. Because ducks have so much fat (I suppose from all that swimming and diving) they tend to splatter a bit more. But with the mess also comes the resultant treasure – duck fat. I cook at least two ducks at a time to guarantee enough duck for dinner and enough duck fat for a week of mad monounsaturated fat, throw all caution to the wind, cooking.

And while the little bastards roast away in the oven, I sauté the excess duck fat and skin along with the livers for a cook’s treat. The skin turns to cracklin’s, the livers plump up and take in the rendered fat. Served on a couple of slices of baguette with a glass of Nuit Saint George, this makes an exceptional amuse bouche.

If E is close by, she gets a taste, otherwise … well, you get the picture.