Name: Preserved Duck or Goose
Ingredients: About 8½ pounds fresh duck (approximate weight after necks, giblets, and extra fat have been removed from two 5½-pound ducklings) or a goose of about the same net weight; 3 hay leaves, coarsely broken; 1 tablespoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon whole white peppercorns; 1 teaspoon Quatre Épices; 1 cup coarse (kosher) salt; All fat removed from duck or goose, plus 1 to 1½ pounds extra duck or goose fat, if available; 1 pound pork fat; ½ head of garlic, each clove peeled

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

Perhaps best known as part of the French cassoulet, preserved duck or goose is salty, rich, and intensely flavored. Even a small piece, with a little of the preserving fat, will make an inspiring difference in a bean soup or a vegetable stew. Or you can warm sections of your bird gently in their fat in a skillet and serve them with hot mashed potatoes.

When the preserved bird is all gone, don’t discard the remaining fat—it keeps almost indefinitely and can be used to make mor