CtBF – Potatoes cooked in duck fat

For me, this is like going backwards, writing first about the last recipe in my duck trilogy completed over the past week. But to get duck fat, without buying it from the store, you have to cook some duck (confit). And then you must use said confit in something (like cassoulet). That has to be made on or near New Years because, well, beans.

I have been so stretched out lately that I haven’t been blogging. Cooking for sure, especially with the holidays. I host Thanksgiving and so there are turkeys, stuffing, pies and all manner of things over what has turned into a 4-day party. Christmas too. Cookies of course, but I also made the main meal (prime rib and Yorkshire pudding this year – yum).

And now, while I will not at all be doing the full month (I have 3 trips planned), I’m trying to do the #cook90 challenge. Wherein you cook 3 meals a day for 30 days. I’ve gotten into some bad habits. When I lived in Scottsdale, I’d have an internal debate on my 15 minute drive home. Starting with “I’m tired, I’ll just pick up something”, and ending with “ok, I can make this, and it will be delicious. My commute is from my desk to the kitchen. Not enough time for the internal debate. So I’m going for my version of the challenge.

Has it been almost a decade that some of us have been cooking together!!! I still go back to AMFT from time to time for different things. And David’s book is good. My challenge with it is my family’s French food fatigue. We have a game we play “if you could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?” Most likely? Mexican food (there’s so much more than gloppy cheese!). But Thai, or if you’re willing to accept a region, Southeast Asian, would work. I suspect there might be an Italian vote or two. But French? Nope. So it makes it a little tricky.

That said. I could serve these potatoes on any day and they would be a huge hit and gone in a flash. The duck fat creates the crispy exterior, that is both savory with just a touch of sweetness. In New Orleans, they serve Brabant potatoes with almost everything. Never made them, it seemed too time intensive, but this method. Absolutely!

OK, let’s get to it. There’s a recipe, but you don’t need one. I used russet potatoes, peeled and cut into about a half-inch dice. They get dropped in boiling salted water until they are just on the edge of tender.

The potatoes get drained really well, and if necessary blotted with paper towel. I used 2 medium-large potatoes, about 1 pound. I probably had close to 2 T of the duck fat. It’s heated in a heavy pan, and then the potatoes are added. They get stirred and turned around in the pan until they have a nice golden crust. I skipped the garlic, but that would be great too.

I served these with an omelet and some fresh spinach. Delicious, simple meal.

I will definitely be making this again. And I’m excited to turn over a new cooking leaf! Looking forward to reading about what others thought about this recipe!