You won’t believe how amazing these potatoes are! Picture this: each one perfectly crispy, fried to perfection in luxurious duck fat. It’s the ultimate treat for the family, seriously. We had these at our gathering alongside burgers, and let me tell you, they duked it out with my onion smashed cheeseburgers for the spotlight! Crunchy, delicious, and totally addictive — who needs anything else? Trust me, you’ll want to make these a regular on your menu.
What is Duck Fat?
Duck fat is a cooking fat obtained by melting down duck tissues to separate the liquid fat from solid bits, known as rendering. It’s highly prized for its rich flavor and versatility in the kitchen, often used by chefs to enhance dishes with its unique taste and crispy texture.
Duck Fat Benefits
Firstly, it has a high smoke point of 375°F, making it suitable for various cooking methods like frying, roasting, and sautéing without burning or imparting an off taste. Additionally, duck fat adds richness and depth to dishes, creating a crispy texture and golden exterior while keeping the interior tender and succulent.
Rich in healthy unsaturated fats and lower in saturated fats than butter, duck fat is a healthier alternative for cooking. It’s also versatile, suitable for various dietary preferences as it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free, making it compatible with paleo, keto, Whole30, and primal diets. Whether used for roasting potatoes, frying, sautéing vegetables, or baking, duck fat elevates the taste and texture of dishes to new heights.
Duck fat is available in most grocery stores in two forms: solid duck fat and duck fat spray, both offering advantages in cooking. Solid duck fat can be used similarly to butter, while duck fat spray provides a convenient non-stick coating for pans and baking dishes. Whichever form you choose, cooking with duck fat adds a touch of culinary elegance and deliciousness to your meals.
What you need to fry potatoes in Duck Fat
- Duck fat. Epic, Cornhusker, and Fatworks are brands available in my local Orlando, Florida area. They are also available online if you can’t find duck fat locally.
- Potatoes: Choose starchy or all-rounder potatoes depending on your location. For Australia, Sebago, Dutch Creams, Desiree, Golden Delight, Kennebec, King Edwards, or Pontiac are ideal. In the US, Russets or Yukon Gold work well, and in the UK, Maris Piper potatoes are recommended.
- Semolina: This secret ingredient adds a subtle extra crunch to the potatoes. It’s finely ground yellow wheat used in pasta making. If unavailable, you can omit it, but it enhances the texture of the potatoes. There’s no perfect substitute, as even fine ground cornmeal is too coarse. However, it’s not essential, and the potatoes will still be delicious without it.
- Salt: Use more salt than you expect, as potatoes require a generous amount of seasoning.
I pair my onion smash burgers with duck fat fried potatoes, both cooked in the same skillet for an extra layer of flavor. Frying the potatoes first leaves behind a delicious residue in the skillet, enhancing the taste of the burgers when cooked in the same pan. The result? The most mouthwatering burgers you’ve ever tasted!
Leftovers? Reheat in the toaster oven or air fryer the next day. They pair excellently with eggs.
This method might not exactly qualify as a formal recipe, but once you’ve experienced the magic of crispy fried potatoes done this way, you’ll have a hard time settling for anything less! Fluffy, almost baked-potato-like interiors, perfectly crisp and duck-tastic exteriors! Feel free to adjust the quantities based on the number of hungry mouths you’re feeding.
Need your potatoes mashed to sop up some gravy? For the easiest old fashioned mashed potato recipe, try this one.
Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes Made Easy
Ingredients
Method
- Start by peeling the potatoes, although you can opt to leave the skins on if they are thoroughly washed. Rise and pat them dry with a paper towel. Poke an air vent in the center of each with a knife or a fork.
- Put all the potatoes in a microwave and cook until they are just soft, approximately 7-8 minutes. Allow them to cool for 5-6 minutes before proceeding.
- After cooled enough to handle safely, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds.
- (Option: If you are using semolina, put semolina onto a small plate, press each round into the semolina covering both flat sides. Try to press hard enough for it to penetrate the soft sides a bit without crushing the potato round. I often skip this step if I plan to use the leftover oil for something else.in the same meal.)
- Heat the duck fat in a large skillet – it should not be drowning in the stuff, just a good thick coating. It should be hot but not smoking. Lay the potato slices in the skillet, you want a nice sizzle but not a mad hot fry. We are looking for nice golden/amber brown potatoes.
- When the oil is hot enough, carefully add the potatoes. (Fry in batches, ensuring they don't touch each other while frying it you double or triple the recipe.)
- Using tongs, Peek now and again, once on side is brown to your preference, flip them and fry the other side. When they are ice and amber gold all over, remove them to a plate and sprinkle with some sort of good finishing salt, chopped rosemary, and parmesan cheese. That's all there is to it. Best fried potatoes ever!
Notes
- Specialty foods section
- Meat or poultry section
- Butcher counter
- International or gourmet aisles
- Online grocery stores
- Farmer’s markets
- Health food stores
- Deli counters
- Asian grocery stores
If you’ve tried this potato recipe, then don’t forget to let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
One response to “Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes Made Easy”
I’ve been meaning to try this for a while now. I think the time has come 🙂