Why Not Try A Duck?

This recipe appears in the Make It From Scratch carnival at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood. If you came from the carnival - welcome! I hope you will consider subscribing via RSS feed or e-mail.

Over the last several weeks I've been using my Sunday recipe feature to highlight some main dishes that would work well on the holiday table. After New Year's I promise I'll serve up a few more practical, everyday dishes!

This recipe, for Alton Brown's Mighty Duck, is a good one. While not difficult, it does have several steps, which require a good deal of time between them. I would suggest you watch this video, which will make some of the techniques easier to understand. This is actually part two of a two-part video. You only miss a tiny bit of making the brine from part one, which primarily deals with duck in general. If you want to see part one, click here. I have made this dish several times and it is always delicious. I've only done the chard part once and didn't care for it.

In most grocery stores you will find the duck frozen in the same section as the cornish hens and quail. If you've never looked, you may be surprised to find it!



Brine:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 pint pineapple orange juice
15 whole black peppercorns
1 bunch fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 (5 1/2 to 6 pound) frozen Long Island Duck, thawed

2 handfuls shredded chard
2 shallots, minced Dash sherry or balsamic vinegar

Combine all brine ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. Place the lid on the container and shake to dissolve the salt.

Remove the pop-up thermometer, liver, gizzards, and heart. Cut off the wings.

Using kitchen shears, locate the spine at the base of the neck. Cut up the line of the backbone towards the neck cavity. Turn the duck and cut straight towards the rear cavity. Remove the backbone.

Turn the duck over and cut straight down the middle of the breast bone, leaving 2 equal duck halves. To separate the legs from the breast, flip your halves over so the flesh side is facing up at you. Using a knife, make a crescent shape cut between the leg and the breast. Lay your knife flat against the skin and make 3 marks in one direction and then in the other, making an X. Make sure that you are cutting through the skin and not the meat.

Line the inside of a plastic lexan or a pot with a zip-top bag. Place the duck quarters inside the bag, and pour the brine over the duck. Seal the bag, ensuring that all air is removed from the bag. Brine the duck for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.

Bring 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander into the pot and line the sides of the colander with the duck. Do not stack the duck quarters on each other. Cover and turn the heat to medium low. Steam the duck for 45 minutes. Set oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large cast iron skillet into the oven.

Remove duck pieces from steamer and place legs, skin side down, into the hot skillet. Place the skillet into the hot oven immediately and cook the leg quarters for 10 minutes. Add the breasts, skin side down, and cook for 7 more minutes or until the duck takes on a deep mahogany color and the skin is very crisp.

Remove the duck from the skillet and rest under foil. Add the chard and the shallots to the skillet. Toss the chard in the fat until it barely wilts. Season with the sherry or balsamic vinegar.

Serve the duck with the chard.