From the minute I read the title of this lovely recipe I knew I had to give it a shot. It’s a whole de-boned duck stuffed with a hearty mixture of grains (Farro), dried figs, herbs and nuts. Then The bird is roasted and basted till succulent and crispy. A bit labor intensive? Yes. Just take a look at this beauty and you should know that it is so worth it.
In the Charcuterie is the book by Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller, these folks are the people behind Napa’s amazing butcher shop The Fatted Calf. Back in March when we were in Napa for a wedding and a dinner at the French Laundry we also enjoyed a fat plate of the most delicious porchetta at The Fatted Calf. The place is a lovely butcher shop with everything from duck to lamb, beef, pork, goose, goat and veal. The proprietors also sell a variety of prepared foods and lots of charcuterie (confits, terrines, sausages, cured meats…) . Even though we had planned on having burgers that day for lunch we just could not resist grabbing a plate of the porchetta with the crackly skin that the butcher was slicing. It was sublime. Fatty, heavily flavored with garlic and herbs it was a memorable meal. When the book was announced, my friend quickly pre-ordered a copy for each of us. Thanks Sev!
To make this dish I had too completely debone the duck. I did this by cutting down the spine of the duck and then gently and carefully detached the meat from the bone all around. The key is to do this without damaging the skin. That took about 30 minutes or so, but it’s a process I really do enjoy and a very cool skill to master.
For the filling I first prepared the dried figs. I simmered a variety of warm spices and herbs with sugar and red wine to infuse the liquid. That was poured over dried Black Mission figs and the whole thing was allowed to macerate overnight. The figs get plump as they absorb the spiced wine and when I am ready to finish the filling I drained them and cut them into quarters. I mixed the figs with parsley, breakfast sausage, cooked farro and toasted hazelnuts.
I laid the boneless duck on a cutting board skin side down. Then I formed the filling into a thick log and put that on top. I rolled the meat around the filling and basically reformed the duck as best as I could into it’s original shape. I tied the duck with twine to secure everything in place. I scored the skin and then roasted the bird at 375 F, basting it occasionally with its drippings, until a thermometer read 140 F in the center and the skin turned a crispy golden brown.
Now how to serve this delicious roast? In the recipe we are simply instructed to slice and serve. That really works since the duck and the stuffing make for a nicely complementary meal, but I wanted to add a bit more to it. We had this for two dinners so I played around a bit. The first time around I served it with a bit of blanched broccolini , some leftover farro and a tart mustard vinaigrette.
For the second meal, I pan seared the sliced roast not to just heat it up but also to add another layer of flavor and texture. I served it with a bit more of the same greens and added sweet and sour pumpkin. The recipe for the pumpkin is a simple but really tasty one from Mario Batali where pumpkin cubes are cooked in a mixture of garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar and garnished with mint. I also prepared a sauce to go with this dish that is pretty much the same one I served with the Teal dish last year, a reduced spiced red wine sauce to echo the spice and the flavor of the figs.
