Mighty Duck
Recipe courtesy
Ingredients
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
* 2 handfuls shredded chard
* 2 shallots, minced
* Dash sherry or balsamic vinegar
Directions
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
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.