Duck Fat French Fries - Fritea | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

RECIPE: Duck Fat French Fries

January 22, 2021 at 8:51 am · Filed under Recipes, Spreads-Dips-Salsa, The Nibble, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

National French Fry Day is July 19th, but this recipe is winter comfort food.

Duck fat fries are a special treat, beloved among chefs. They’re a great accompaniment to grilled meat, roasted chicken, and yes, duck.

In this recipe the fries are pan baked, resulting in a crisp duck fat crunch and an aromatic blend of roasted garlic and herbs.

If you prefer to deep fat fry, the recipe is below.

This oven-baked recipe is from Kita Roberts of the Girl Carnivore blog. Read Kita’s full post here.

She calls the fries by their French name, frites (freet, French for “fries”).

We really like her added touches of truffle oil and rosemary, and the flavorful aïoli dip (that’s garlic mayonnaise—see more uses for aïoli here).

Double the batch and use it on sandwiches, vegetables (including crudités), potato chips and other dippables and spreadables.

RECIPE: HERBED DUCK FAT FRIES (FRITES)

Ingredients For 4 Servings

For The Potatoes

4 large russet Idaho® potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into ¼˝ strips (it’s best to use a mandoline)

½ cup rendered duck fat, room temperature (see duck fat information below)

Seasonings

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon truffle oil

2 cloves chopped roasted garlic

Fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, chopped

Jacobsen rosemary salt*

Ingredients For The Aïoli

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon truffle oil

Fresh rosemary, chopped

Smoked salt†

Coarse ground black pepper

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Toss the sliced potatoes in a dish with the duck fat, reserving 2 tablespoons of fat. Season liberally with salt.

2. RUB 2 baking sheets with a thin layer of the reserved duck fat. Arrange the potatoes on the baking sheets in a single layer.

3. BAKE for 25-30 minutes until golden and crunchy, flipping the fries and rotating the pans halfway through cook time. Meanwhile…

4. MAKE the aïoli. Whisk the mayo, mustard and Worcestershire together in a small bowl. Drizzle the truffle oil, chopped rosemary, rosemary salt and pepper over top. Set aside. When the fries are removed from the oven…

5. TOSS with truffle oil and season with the chopped roasted garlic, herbs and rosemary salt. Allow the fries to cool for a few minutes. Serving with the aïoli.

THE CORRECT DEEP FAT FRYING TECHNIQUE

D’Artagnan, specialist in duck products, offers these tips to make your deep-fat fries—fried in any type of fat—the best.

Double-Fry. The secret to the perfect French fry in any fat is the double-fry method. The first fry is to cook the potato through. The second fry, at a higher temperature, is to give them maximum crispness.

Melt The Duck Fat. Using a heavy-bottomed pot with high sides, heat the fat to about 325°F. Use a deep-frying/candy thermometer to get an accurate reading.

Cut The Potatoes Into Sticks (julienne). Cook the potato sticks in small batches to avoid dramatically dropping the temperature of the hot fat. After about 5 to 7 minutes, test the doneness by poking a fry with a sharp knife point. The knife should slide in and out with no resistance.

The First Fry. When the potatoes are cooked through, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon, spider skimmer, or tong. Drain on a sheet tray covered in paper towels. After all of the batches are cooked and cooled, raise the heat under the pot and bring the melted duck fat to 350°F.

The Second Fry. Return the fries to the pot, in batches, for only about 1 minute. Drain on fresh paper towels.

Season Them. Sprinkle the fries right away with your choice of sea salt, black pepper, paprika, parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, or whatever seasonings you like (we like truffle salt). Doing this step while the fries are still hot will help the seasonings to stick.

Love those fries!

> THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FRIES & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FRENCH FRIES

ABOUT DUCK FAT

People who cook ducks and geese typically render the fat and freeze it for future use.

Those who don’t cook and render can buy rendered duck fat.

Check your specialty food store, or fine butcher, or order online from D’Artagnan or other e-tailer.

[1] A grilled steak with duck fat fries and aioli dip (photo © #1 and #2 Girl Carnivore | Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Mmmm…can you have a meal consisting of all French fries?

[4] Duck fat fries are delicious with any grilled meats (including burgers and veggie burgers) and poultry (photo © Tim Toomey | Unsplash).

Pure duck fat, usually from Moulard ducks, has a silky mouthfeel, subtle flavor, and a high smoke point.

The smoke point makes duck fat perfect for high-heat cooking. Chefs consider it the best animal fat for cooking, and it enhances the flavor of anything it touches—including eggs, potatoes and other vegetables, as well as meat and poultry.

While it may sound like a cholesterol orgy, there are actually health benefits to duck fat.

Duck fat contains 35.7% saturated, 50.5% monounsaturated fat (high in linoleic acid) and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats (which contains Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids).

Goose fat is similar to duck fat; both are dark meat birds. The major difference between goose and duck fat is that goose fat tends to be more gamey and duck fat has a light, sweet flavor [source].

Olive oil which 75% monounsaturated fat (mostly oleic acid), 13% saturated fat, 10% Omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% Omega-3 linoleic acid.

The main difference between chicken, turkey and duck fats is that duck fat contains more linoleic acid, while chicken and turkey fats contain a higher amount of polyunsaturated fats.

Duck and goose fat are more like olive oil than they are like butter.

Here’s more about it.

Check out good fats vs. bad fats.

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*You can buy Jacobson Rosemary Salt from their website or from Amazon. Or, you can mix dried rosemary with kosher salt or coarse sea salt.

†If you don’t have smoked salt, you can make it. Or, substitute black lava salt (kala namak). Or simply use regular sea salt. You won’t get that hint of smoke, but the dip will still be delicious.

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