Duck on Duck on Duck

Duck is a fun bird to cook. It is safer than chicken, so there is no reason to fear undercooking it. It has much more flavor than chicken as well, which is satisfying. It's hard to buy whole fresh ducks, so it's okay to buy a frozen one. 

1 duck

4 cups canola oil

Salt and pepper 

1 case blackberries (2 cups) 

I broke down the duck and took the carcass and put it in the oven at 450 degrees. The point of this is to brown the bones, helping to develop more flavor. After golden brown (about 30 minutes) remove from the oven and place in a pot of cold water. Bring the water up to a simmer and let it cook for three hours, adding water as needed. 

Take all of the skin from the duck (except that on the breast) and place in a pot with about 3 cups canola oil. Render out the fat from the duck skin on medium/low heat until the skin appears crisp. I like to feed the crispy skin to my dog, as they have lost most of their flavor from removing their fat. Take the dark meat pieces of the duck (thighs, legs, wings) and place in a small hotel pan.  Salt and pepper the duck. Use the rendered oil to completely cover your duck meat. Wrap in foil and place in a 250 degree oven for four hours. 

The duck confit will be falling apart tender, and so delicious you will be unable to stop snacking on it. Because of the fat we cooked it in, it is high in fat, so try to only eat about 2 or 3 tablespoons worth at a time. It is more delicious warm, so make sure you warm up your left overs before digging in! 

Take your breast and season with salt and pepper. Place skin side down in a pan lightly coated in canola oil (or in the oil you cooked your duck in). Start in a cool pan, and turn the heat up high after placing the breast inside. The skin should begin to crisp up and turn golden after about 6 minutes. Flip onto the other side and sear that as well. Remove the breast and slice after allowing to rest about 8 minutes. 

Take the duck stock and remove the bones. Strain out any particulates. Reduce until about a cup remains. Take 2 cups of blackberries and use a juicer to remove the juice. Add blackberry juice to duck stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!