For my birthday at the end of last month, my sister and my nephew came to visit for a few days. Lori had mentioned that part of my birthday present was a batch of homemade wontons for soup. I was thrilled and we ended up having homemade wonton soup the first night they were here.
The next night was my birthday dinner and it couldn't have been better. We braised lamb shanks in red wine and Lori did roasted potatoes in duck fat. I am sure there were veggies and even a salad to go with that, but I was totally smitten with the potatoes, and I can't remember now! The potatoes were a crispy golden on the outside and creamy (I mean really creamy!) on the inside. They were unlike even the best homemade french fry. There are no words...
Roasting potatoes in duck fat might be something that is common in France, but the thought hadn't even occurred to me until Lori said that she tried it at home recently. She had been watching a show with Anthony Bourdain and he had done potatoes in duck fat. She was inspired and as luck would have it, she had some duck fat in the freezer. The duck fat came from two cans of duck confit that I brought back from France. The duck confit was excellent that night and I sent Lori & her husband Jake home with almost a litre of fat that came out of the cans. I am glad they had the foresight to save the fat or else it would have gone into the garbage. In fact, this is how committed they were about keeping the duck fat. After living with Jake's parents for a year and half while their house was being gutted and renovated, the duck fat was one of the few foods to make it back into their freezer after the house was finished! That is impressive.
For my birthday dinner, Lori used Yukon Gold potatoes sliced into wedges. She heated up my trusty Le Crueset cast-iron frying pans and melted about 3 tablespoons or so of duck fat. Once the fat was nice and hot, she added the potatoes and let them get crispy on one side before stirring them up. Once a batch was finished, she put those potatoes into the oven and started the process over again. The potatoes were seasoned with sea salt and they disappeared quickly once we sat down for dinner.
If you are wondering where to even find duck fat, check at your local butcher shop or specialty food shop. My friend Donna mentioned that you can buy duck fat at White House Meats at the St. Lawrence market in Toronto. I am sure there are lots of places that carry it but you will need to ask for it specifically.
And one more note about these incredible potatoes. When I mentioned the duck fat to Donna and my friend Elaine, they both responded along the lines of "Oh Yeah!". Elaine recalled a dinner they had at a home in France. She said that the potatoes were cut quite small and that they were unforgettable. The smaller the potato, the more crispy goodness! Considering the two friends that I spoke to about it were both converts already, I can only imagine that you will become a believer too.
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