Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (57 page)
Read Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Online
Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong
Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy
Spatchcock, spatchcock, SPATCHCOCK! I love that word.
EVERYTHING tastes better with aji verde chili sauce: from meat and fish to salads and soups!
SLOW-ROASTED DUCK LEGS
When it’s cooked properly, roast duck is sublime, with thin, crackling-crisp skin and moist, fork-tender meat. This slow-roasted duck is infused with bright, peppery aromatics, and it’s a cinch to prepare. Just give the marinade ingredients some time to intensify the flavors of the meat, and pop these duck legs in the oven for a comforting seasonal dish. Serve it up with an autumn salad, and you won’t be disappointed.
| Makes 4 servings | 4 duck legs |
| Hands-on time: 20 minutes | 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt |
| Total time: 2 days | 2 strips lemon peel , each approximately ½ inch by 2 inches (use a vegetable peeler!) |
| 10 whole black peppercorns | |
| 6 garlic cloves , smashed and peeled | |
| 4 fresh thyme sprigs | |
| ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes | |
| 1 tablespoon duck fat or fat of choice |
DO THIS:
- R
ub the duck legs with salt, and place them skin-side down in a shallow dish. Place the other ingredients except for the duck fat on top of the duck. Cover and marinate the legs for
1
to
2
days in the refrigerator. - W
hen you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to
300
°F with the rack in the middle position. Melt the duck fat, and use it to grease a baking dish. - P
lace the duck skin-side up in the dish, with the aromatics from the marinade tucked underneath the duck. Don’t worry about crowding the duck—it should be a fairly snug fit. - R
oast the duck legs in the oven for
2
to
3
hours, or until the fat under the skin has rendered, the legs are golden brown, and the meat is tender. - D
iscard all the aromatics except for the garlic cloves, which can be served with the duck. If the legs aren’t browned to your liking, melt some more duck fat in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and fry the legs for a few minutes until the skin’s golden and crisp. Serve immediately.
Serve this with a simple salad of watercress and frisée, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed with
Citrus Vinaigrette
!
