This meal is special to me– My mother and I made this together over Christmas, the last night we had together before we had to part to come back home– and it just came together so well, right on the spot, so very meant to be. I got to bake with my sis, and I got to cook with my mother over Christmas, the best of both worlds… It’s what makes Skirt in the Kitchen what it is, its foundation for its existence.
Deep-Fried Duck, Israeli Couscous with Sweet Potato Latkes ~
~ Skirt in the Kitchen ~
Brine the day before, soaking a whole duck in apple cider vinegar, adding enough cold water and ice to cover just over the top. Brine with lemon, juniper berries, rosemary and onion.
Rinse the duck, dry it, salt and pepper. Cut the duck into portions to be fried. Set the fryer temp to 350 degrees. Chop fresh rosemary.
In rice flour, sprinkle heavily with McCormick Fiery 5 Pepper seasoning. Cover individual meat pieces in the rice flour, then into frothy, beaten egg, then back into rice flour and into the fryer of white shortening to cook tender and crispy.
To save on time, you can spice up store-bought cranberry relish by adding a cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, small amount of unsalted butter, sprig of rosemary, chopped dried apricots, gold raisins, finely chopped celery, brown sugar, pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground cloves, small amount of nutmeg, blackberry brandy, and just enough water to make a syrupy liquid apart from the relish ingredients. Bring to a good heat, turn down to a simmer, stirring often, adding more water if necessary.
Pour 1 1/4 cups duck broth in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil and add 1 cup couscous; then 1 cup water and 1 more cup couscous. Stir, cover and cook, being careful not to easily stick to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
It will absorb all the liquid.
To prepare the sweet potato latkes for frying, grate 1 1/2 large sweet potatoes (approximately 1 1/2 pounds), mince 1/2 large yellow onion, sprinkle in kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add finely chopped rosemary, thinly sliced and chopped celery, gold raisins, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup flour. Not in the deep-fryer, but in a medium-sized skillet, fry into some of the melted, hot shortening that the duck is frying in, taken from the deep-fryer. This will give the latkes just a bit of the duck flavor that will not be dominant.
Fluff with a fork, the couscous, every now and then, keeping it covered up until time of serving. Stir 1 tablespoon butter into the couscous. Taste for possible need of salt and pepper.
Salt and pepper the duck portions, immediately, while the skin is still hot from the fryer, using kosher salt which is coarse, and freshly grated black pepper. It does make a difference.
Do the same for the latkes, and sprinkle garam masala over them; set them on paper towels to soak up excessive grease. Use a very thin spatula to turn these, to pick them up, rather than a thick spatula that could separate them. You won’t know the raisins are in the latkes, just a hint of something– They add to the flavor of everything combined, beautifully, making this a unique and delicious dinner to serve to family and friends, set primarily around Hanukkah and Christmas.
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