Duck Confit Tacos with Pickled Cherries and Hatch Green Chile Salsa Verde
Prep Time
60 mins
Cook Time
240 minutes
Serves
4-6
Ingredients
Duck Leg Confit
- 4 duck leg quarters
- duck brine- 1 tablespoon of each of the following: star anise, juniper berries, coriander seeds, whole cloves, whole peppercorns, 3 tablespoons salt, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves of garlic
- 12 ounces of duck fat
Pickled cherries
- 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Hatch green chile salsa verde
- 1.5 lbs 6 tomatillos, outer paper skins removed and halved
- 1/2 small white onion, quartered
- 5 mild or medium hatch green chiles (or 3 poblanos and 3 jalapenos)
- 1/2 head of garlic (cut through the equator to expose the cloves)
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- juice from 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
Taco
- 8-10 fresh or store bought corn tortillas
- cilantro
- 4 ears of corn, steamed and cut off the cob
- cilantro for garnish
- marigold petals for purely aesthetic garnish (completely optional)
Steps
1
In a baking dish combine defrosted duck legs and all the ingredients for the duck brine. Rub all over the duck to evenly coat and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
2
Combine ingredients for the pickled cherries in a small sauce pan and heat just until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour liquid over halved cherries in a small bowl. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Stir the cherries and the pickling juice several times and return to the refrigerator covered.
3
Remove pickled cherries from the refrigerator to the countertop. Preheat oven to 250F and remove the duck from the refrigerator. Brush off the spices as well as you can and put in a dutch oven skin side down once oven preheated. Top with the duck fat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours remove from the oven, turn skin side up and cook for an additional 2 hours covered.
4
Remove the duck the the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the salsa verde.
5
Turn the oven on high broil and place rack in the center of the oven. On a parchment lined sheet tray place tomatillos, garlic and onion (all cut side down), and hatch green chiles. Spray lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil for 20 mins, turning the chiles halfway through.
6
Remove from the oven and once slightly cooled, scrape off some of the charred outer skin of the chiles and cut off the stems. Transfer the tomatillos, onion, and chile flesh to a blender, squeeze in the roasted garlic and with a spatula get all of the remaining liquid from the sheet tray in to the blender. Squeeze in the lime juice and add cilantro to the blender. Blend on high and then taste for salt and pepper and add additional seasoning if desired. Set aside.
7
Steam the corn in microwave or stovetop while you crisp the duck skin.
8
Remove the skin from the duck legs and set aside. Remove the duck meat from the bone and set aside. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 1/4 cup of the duck fat from the dutch oven. Place the duck skin in the skillet and fry until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
9
Heat the tortillas and cover. Assemble the tacos with desired amount of salsa first, then duck meat, crispy duck skin, 3- pickled cherry halves, corn, and garnish with cilantro.
When doing the most, gets you the most in return.
A multi step taco preparation over several days, sounds… almost like its missing the point of a taco. I promise you that the effort is not in vain, because these are some of the most bomb tacos I have ever had in my life. I think what will shift your already clouded (thanks to me) perspective of this recipe, is that it in fact, is several different recipes in one- which can be substituted with store bought alternatives to literally cut the workload by 1/2. Yes, I made fresh corn tortillas and homemade salsa, but there many widely available time saving subs with high quality store bought tortillas and jarred salsa verde.
Pickling the cherries is not 100% necessary. Only like 95% necessary. If you must, be a heathen and just add deliciously ripe, peak season cherries without pickling…and still be a very happy taco eater when its all said and done.
Sure, you don’t have to separate the duck skin from the leg quarters and fry just that in reserved duck fat. But if you don’t, you won’t have crispy duck chicharron to top on the perfectly moist duck meat and add a completely necessary crunch to the whole situation. Not everyone wants a gilded lily. I do, though.
I know you get where I am going with this. You can make some shortcuts to make this a more manageable recipe, but if you want to spread your wings a bit, try making as many of the components from scratch as you’re willing, and let me know if you think it was worth it!
You won’t believe the depth of flavor, pops of sweetness and just plain deliciousness of these tacos!