It is always the same when I've been away in my camper van, what's in my fridge when I return? Not much, so I raided the freezer where there was a lifesaver - Confit de Canard. That's Sunday lunch sorted; it was just a question of what was available to have with it. Freezer again provided broccoli and previously made butternut squash with red peppers.
There were some red skinned potatoes in the cupboard and with store cupboard ingredients I conjured up scalloped potatoes. I have those small tetra paks of milk, the size that you'd probably put in a school kids lunch box, in the store cupboard too.
Confit de Canard
Scalloped potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Sautéed butternut squash & red pepper
Cooking is easy and short apart from the potatoes where you need to make a Roux first, using butter, flour and milk, add a little stock too, and grated cheese if you like. Slice potatoes (unpeeled in my case) and onions thinly, much easier if you have a mandolin. Layer the potatoes and onions then pour over the Roux. Bake in the oven at 200°C covered for one hour. Remove cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
I used to be able buy Confit de Canard in tins when I lived in France, extremely convenient because there were 8 legs per catering tin packed in duck fat, so after sucking one or two out of the gooey gloop you simply resealed it and popped it in the fridge. In Andalucía I've only found single legs in vacuum packs. What I do find is that these packs do not come with enough fat so I resort to my preserved jar of duck fat at the back of the fridge. It lasts forever, well a long time anyway, if the jar is tightly covered. And remaining fat left over after cooking is strained back into the jar for future use (think roast potatoes).
My French friend, Fran, who did live locally but alas, now in Malaga, used to bring me fresh duck legs and organic rape seed oil whenever she visited her parents in Auvergne. I miss that.
I find that duck goes well with red or white wine, or even beer - you choose.
My quick and easy Confit de Canard recipe can be found here:
