17 September 2013 Duck Fat and Bacon Fingerling Potatoes

Duck Fat and Bacon Fingerling Potatoes

September 17, 2013 By

Fried Fingerling PotatoesOkay, don’t freak out yet about the title of this recipe. You’re not eating the whole recipe, just one of 6 servings!

These are easy to make, pretty darn tasty and go a long way in satisfying your guests, even with a small portion.

Bacon Frying

 

 

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
  • 2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cleaned and halved
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 4 Tbsp. duck fat (could use butter)
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
  • Generous pinch of sea salt

Frying Fingerling PotatoesDirections

  1. In a large pot, combine the water, salt and potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are barely fork-tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are boiling, fry the bacon strips in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 or until browned and crisp. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then chop into bite-size pieces (I use kitchen shears for this task) – reserve for later use. In the skillet, remove all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Reserve remaining drippings in the skillet for later use.
  3. Remove the boiled potatoes from the pot to a cooling rack and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. While the potatoes are drying and cooling, add the duck fat to the bacon drippings in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the boiled potatoes, the pepper and the thyme. Fry for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown, turning the potatoes to allow browning on all sides.
  5. Remove the browned potatoes from the skillet to a paper towel-lined bowl using a slotted spoon, letting most of the fat drip off. Let the paper towels absorb some of the fat for 1 minute (no more or it’ll cause the potatoes to turn soggy) then immediately place the potatoes in a serving bowl and toss gently with the chopped bacon and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Makes about 6 servings (side dish).

Filed Under: American, Cuisine Type, French, Potatoes, Sides Tagged With: , , ,
14 August 2013 Duck Fat Fries

Duck Fat Fries

August 14, 2013 By
Duck Fat Fries

Duck Fat Fries

Last weekend, I hosted my First Annual FryFest. All foods served were…fried! Since I love fries cooked in duck fat, I decided to make those one of the various sides I served.

This is a classic double-fry process where the potatoes are first blanched in oil at a lower temperature to soften them then fried to a golden color and crisp exterior in hotter oil.

Fries Soaking

Fries Soaking

I made enough fries for an army at my party, but I scaled down the quantities to serve four people. Do yourself a favor and use Russet potatoes and don’t fool around with others that won’t give you the right taste and crispness. They’re easy to find and inexpensive.

Ingredients:

  • 4 large Russet potatoes, unpeeled but scrubbed
  • One 11.28-ounce container of duck fat (I used Rougie)
  • 5 cups peanut or canola oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut the potatoes into 1/2” sticks.
  2. Rinse the potato sticks with cold water, add them to a large bowl filled with cold water and soak them for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This will help rid the spuds of some of their starch and create ultra-crispy fries.
  3. Drain the potatoes very well and try to dry as much of the moisture as possible using a kitchen towel.
  4. Add the duck fat and the oil to a heavy pot (5-6 quarts). The fat/oil should only come up a third to a half of the way up the sides of the pot. If the oil goes higher than that, you risk the hot fat overflowing when you put the potatoes in so get another bigger pot.
  5. Heat the fat/oil to 325 degrees on a candy/deep fry thermometer. Add the potatoes and increase the heat to allow the fat/oil to stay at the 325 degree temperature. Fry for 5 minutes – fries should remain nearly white. Drain on several layers of paper towels and allow to cool.
  6. Bring the fat/oil to 375 degrees. Add the blanched fries and increase the heat to allow the fat/oil to stay at the 375 degree temperature. Fry for 7-8 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on several layers of paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan (if using) and serve at once.
Blanched Fries

Blanched Fries

Serves 4.

Notes: You can get through step 5 then wrap the blanched fries in aluminum foil and refrigerate until the next day. Once the fries are fully cooked, if you’re working in batches, you can keep them hot in a 200 degree oven for a few minutes – don’t leave them in for more than 15 minutes or the fries will get soggy.

Filed Under: American, Belgian, French Tagged With: , , , ,