This is where you want to break out that lovely duck fat—the liquid gold saved from making Duck Breast with Dried Fruit and Vin Santo (page 152) or Cheater’s Duck Confit and Bitter Greens (page 154). If you didn’t remember to save the duck fat or don’t have any, you can certainly buy it. And in a pinch you can use olive oil. Duck fat is fabulous for frying because it has a relatively high smoking point (it can get really hot before it begins to break down), so it will make your potatoes golden brown and crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and REALLY tasty. Save your duck fat; it’s worth it.
Recipe information
Yield
serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Toss the potatoes with the garlic in a large saucepan and cover with about 2 inches of water; season generously with salt. Taste the water to make sure it is seasoned appropriately.
Step 2
Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes.
Step 3
When cool enough to handle, put the potatoes on a clean work surface and squash them with the heel of your palm. Reserve.
Step 4
Add the duck fat to a large, straight-sided pan and bring to medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and season with salt; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and aromatic.
Step 5
Raise the heat to medium-high, add the potatoes, and use a spatula to press them down onto the bottom of the pan—give them a good squish! Let the potatoes brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 6
Scrape the potatoes off the bottom of the pan and turn them. Repeat this process until the potatoes are brown and crispy everywhere, 15 to 20 more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
