Another duck leg

Eastside Road, May 9, 2014—

SENT SHOPPING FOR a couple of potatoes to fry in the duck fat left over from last night's confit, and some kind of meat to go with it, my limited imagination suggested a logical choice would be a couple of duck legs. Lindsey cooked them slowly in the black iron skillet, fried the potatoes, and steamed some green beans.

Well, of course, it was all quite delicious. I hated ducks when I was a kid, because I was supposed to care for them — we had Muscovys, Pekin whites, and Mallards, interchangeably disgustingly filthy birds. They are much better dead and on the plate than alive and on your to-do list, I think. The meat is absolutely delicious; it needs only a little salt to bring out an incredible complexity of flavor.

Best of all, when I washed the dishes, there were bits stuck to the skillet. I cooked them a bit, poured the fat off into a cup — we'll have more potatoes soon! — and then cooked the rest down for the cracklings, which made as fine a dessert as you can ask.

Oh: we had the usual green salad, of course, and a slice of bread — I got a loaf yesterday from a bakery new to me, M.H. Bread & Butter. I will always remain faithful to the source, Acme Bread in Berkeley; and to our local, Downtown Bakery & Creamery. But this M.H. B&B is damn good.

Barolo d'Asti, Rocca dell'Olmo (Piemonte), 2011