Duck And Andouille Gumbo
Duck And Andouille Gumbo
Gumbo is the quintessential Louisiana dish; it’s practically a religion here. Everyone makes it a little differently, but everyone makes it — and has very strong opinions on the right way to do it. I learned to make gumbo from my uncle, who learned it from my grandma. But I waited a long time before putting it on the La Petite menu, because it’s such a personal thing.Gumbo has gone through so many creative interpretations that once you understand the essentials, it really just comes down to making it however you want to make it. I use duck because I like to go duck hunting, but if you prefer chicken, that works, too. These days, I’m not so concerned with making a super-traditional gumbo — I’d rather throw in some poblano peppers and greens, and if you want to call it blasphemy, that’s fine with me. I think it’s delicious.A few things to note about the cooking technique: The success of a great gumbo lies in the roux (which in this case is a flavoring agent, more than a thickening one). This recipe can be easily doubled to feed a crowd (and freezes well); make it in advance if possible, since it always tastes better the second day. It’s traditional to serve gumbo with rice, though my favorite accompaniment is a super-simple potato salad with mustard, mayonnaise, and vinegar — that’s a classic southwestern Louisiana way to eat it.Reprinted with permission from The New Orleans Kitchen by Justin Devillier, copyright (c) 2019. Published by Lorena Jones Books, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Prep Time
1
hour
Cook Time
2
hours
Servings
6
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup peanut oil
- 1 cup small-diced onion
- 1/2 cup small-diced celery
- 3/4 cup small-diced poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 bunch mustard greens or other hearty greens, trimmed and cut into ribbons (about 4 cups)
- 4 cup okra, cut into ½-inch rounds
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper vinegar, such as brine from pickled jalapeños or other pickled peppers
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped thyme leaves
- 1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onion, white and green parts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the duck legs on a baking sheet and season on both sides with the salt and pepper.
- Roast, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 1 hour.
- While the duck roasts, make a dark roux with the flour and oil.
- Add the onion, celery, poblanos, and garlic directly to the pot with the hot roux.
- This will cause a volatile, steamy reaction.
- Stir the vegetables frequently to sweat (soften and release their aroma without browning) and blend into the roux, until visibly wilted and cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes.
- The roux will thicken and get slightly darker.
- Add the stock to the pot, gradually while whisking out any lumps of roux.
- Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring with a flat-edged spoon to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
- Add the greens, okra, andouille, and the whole roasted duck legs to the pot.
- Stir in the Worcestershire, vinegar, thyme, and parsley.
- Simmer until the duck meat is falling off the bones, about 1 hour.
- Remove the legs from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Pick all of the meat off the bones and stir it back into the pot.
- Discard the bones.
- Add the green onion and season with salt and black pepper.
- Waiting to season until the andouille has cooked is important because the sausage releases a bit of its seasoning as it cooks.
- Remove from the heat and let the gumbo rest for 20 minutes before serving.
- Or, ideally, cool to room temperature, refrigerate overnight, and gently reheat the next day to give the flavors more time to meld.
- Store leftover gumbo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.