Cooking with duck fat

 

Megan, my oldest daughter, told me recently she’d made the best smashed potatoes using chicken fat. That startled me a bit: “Schmaltz?” I asked. In traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, chicken or goose fat is called schmaltz—it’s what makes everything from chicken soup to chopped liver taste so good. But I don’t see it in stores or recipes often (you can find it at Central Market if you look hard). Duck fat, however, is trendy these days, particularly noted for what it does to fried potatoes. So I decided to try Megan’s directions—not that I don’t trust her (she’s a really good cook), but I did confirm by looking at a New York Times recipe. The result was every bit as crispy and wonderful as Megan promised. Here’s what I did (roughly for two people, so multiply by however many mouths you’re feeding).

Start with about three-quarters of a pound of those tiny Yukon gold potatoes, not much bigger than your thumbnail. Bring to a slow boil in salted water and cook until just tender Let them cool until you can handle them but don’t let them get cold. Meantime, melt two Tbsp. duck fat in your sheet pan. Spread the still-warm potatoes on the pan, and smash each—using your thumb or palm or the back of a wooden spoon. Toss the smashed potatoes in the melted fat, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400^o twenty minutes; flip the potatoes and roast ten more minutes. Optional: you can throw a couple cubes of garlic or sprigs of rosemary or both in the pan if you want. Seems like gilding the lily to me.

After that success I was enamored of what duck fat does, so I used it in my adaptation of another New York Times recipe: chicken with caramelized onions and croutons. Here’s what you need:

Chicken thighs, bone in and skin on, at least one per person

Sliced sweet onions and shallots

Homemade croutons (homemade is the key here)

To make croutons, cut leftover artisan bread into cubes—do not use sandwich bread. You want sourdough with a good crust or something similar, chewy bread with texture. It’s best if it’s a day or two old and beginning to dry out; if not, let the cubes sit out a bit on the counter. Toss the cubes in melted duck fat until each is coated. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a 350^o degree oven, tossing occasionally, for about twenty minutes or until cubes are a lovely golden color. Don’t let them get too dark.

Separately, grease a sheet pan, slice onions and shallots and scatter all over the pan. Lay the chicken thighs on top, skin side up, and season with salt and pepper; brush the skin with melted fat (yes you can use duck fat or olive oil) and roast at 400^o until chicken skin is brown and crispy and meat is cooked through. About half an hour. (My toaster oven runs hot, so I always shave something off the recommended temperature and time—you may want to try 425).

To serve, put the croutons on a platter, and dump the chicken and onions over them, letting the juices soak into the croutons. If you don’t have enough juice, deglaze the sheet pan with just a small bit of chicken broth and pour that over the dinner.

Serve with a green salad. Christian liked it so well, he gave his extra thigh to Jordan and went back twice for more croutons.

You’ll probably find other uses for duck fat. It sure is good!