Duck Fricot

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• For Herbes Salées:
• 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup thyme, sage and rosemary, or other favorite herbs, finely chopped
• 1 cup chives or scallion greens
• 1 cup shallots, leeks or onions
• 1/2 cup assorted finely grated root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and/or celery root
• 1 cup kosher salt
• For Duck:
• 4 whole duck legs, trimmed of excess skin and fat
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning duck
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 12 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 stalk celery, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 10 sprigs fresh summer savory or marjoram
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 cups low-sodium duck or chicken stock
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon herbes salées
• 8 fingerling potatoes, halved crosswise
• 4 small turnips, peeled
• 8 leaves turnip greens or spinach

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

To Make Herbes Salées:
Mix all ingredients together in a 1-quart container and seal. Place in refrigerator to marinate.

At the end of 1 week, after volume has shrunk by about half, gather salted herbs in cheesecloth and lightly squeeze out excess moisture. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to one month.

To Make Duck:
Prick skin of duck legs all over with a fork, then season with salt. Combine duck with onions, garlic, celery, savory, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, orange zest and a third of carrots. Let marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to a 7-quart lidded Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove duck from vegetables and herbs, blot dry and brush off any peppercorns. Reserve vegetables and herbs. Sear duck skin-side down until well browned, 5-7 minutes. Flip and brown underside 5 minutes more. Remove and set aside.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon accumulated fat and add reserved vegetables and herb mixture. Sauté until softened, 5-8 minutes. Pick out bay leaves and herb sprigs and return duck to pot on top of vegetables. Add 3 cups stock; duck should just peek above surface. Simmer, covered, over low heat until duck is tender, 1½-2 hours.

While duck simmers, Make Dumpling Dough:
In a bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Mix in milk until no lumps remain and a thick dough forms. Cover with a moist towel until ready to use.

When duck is tender, remove from pot and set aside. Pour stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl and discard solids. Skim fat from stock.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Return skimmed stock and remaining 2 cups stock to Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add herbes salées, potatoes, turnips and remaining carrots, and cook 15 minutes. Add turnip greens, then spoon in dumpling dough 1 tablespoon at a time. You should have 12 dumplings. Cover and simmer 10 minutes more.

While dumplings simmer, put duck legs on a tray in oven to warm through and re-crisp skin.

Divide fricot among 4 bowls and top each with a duck leg.