Duck Fat Potatoes
The majority of my posts and recipes to date have been main dishes. Today, we are going to try something new – duck fat potatoes – which are one of my favorite side dishes of all time. In fact, they are so delicious that I would serve these as an appetizer or a snack. Perfect for a date night or holiday side dish, these potatoes are extremely easy to make too.
Why duck fat?
If you’ve never had duck fat before, you’re missing out on one of the tastiest animal fats there is. To get your hands on some duck fat, you could either buy some at a grocery store (they sell this brand at Whole Foods) or you could render out some of your own when cooking duck legs or breast. I like to make duck confit (I will share this recipe at some point in the future) which is just duck legs submerged and slowly cooked in duck fat. It’s insanely delicious and I’ll save and freeze the duck fat each time so that I always have some in the house. The flavors go really well with potatoes, which is why I love to make this side dish.
We only need 4 ingredients?
Yes! You will only need the following:
- Fingerling potatoes (or any smaller potatoes)
- Duck fat
- Salt
- Pepper
Slice the potatoes into discs about 1/4 inch thick and season with salt and pepper. Heat some duck fat in a pan on the stove over medium to medium-high heat and you’re ready to cook the potatoes.
How long do these need to cook for?
It’s entirely up to you. I like my potatoes to be crispy and crunchy on the outside – it will take about 20-30 minutes to achieve this. If you prefer them to be less crispy, just cook them for less time. The key to this is to keep an eye on them while also moving them around from time to time. By doing that, you will be able to crisp them up as much as you want on both sides while leaving them fluffy in the middle. To me, that’s exactly how potatoes should be!
A great side for many dishes
Once the potatoes are cooked to your liking, you can serve as is or grate some parmesan cheese over and mix it together. The parmesan cheese is completely optional and would take our number of ingredients from 4 to 5 but I recommend it. The flavor elevates these already delicious potatoes. These potatoes are a great side for any protein and are also good for holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Easter. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and packed with flavor. They are one of my favorite side dishes and I think you will enjoy them too.
Duck Fat Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fingerling potatoes or any type of small potatoes
- Duck fat enough for shallow frying
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Slice the fingerling potatoes into discs around 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
- Melt the duck fat in a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. There should be enough duck fat to shallow fry the potatoes.
- Add the potatoes to the pan and cook. Move the potatoes from time to time for even cooking.
- Keep an eye on the potatoes while they cook so that they are cooked to your liking. I prefer crispier potatoes so I will cook them for 20-30 minutes. Cook for less time if you prefer less crispy.
- Remove the potatoes once they are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately or grate some parmesan cheese (optional) over them while they are still hot. Enjoy!
