What is a Great Recipe to Use on The Ducks in my Freezer?

By: J Paul Jackson

Easy Duck and Sausage Gumbo

To me, one of the greatest things about being a duck hunter is preparing them for the table.  Over the years I have prepared duck just about every way imaginable.  From grilled to smoked, sautéed to stuffed I have had duck in well over 100 different incarnations, but one of my absolute favorites has to be  what I consider the ultimate hunting camp comfort food – Duck and Sausage Gumbo.

Cooked low and slow and bursting with flavor, a hot pot of duck gumbo is hard to beat after a long morning of slogging through the marsh.  Unfortunately, many people shy away from ever attempting to make a duck gumbo because most recipes are either too complicated or take days to prepare.  While there are those who maintain a truly great gumbo is achieved through at least 8 hours of cooking, I disagree.  I believe that a great gumbo starts with the roux, and my favorite recipe of all comes from my buddy, Scott Leysath, the Sporting Chef.  Scott’s recipe is built around a homemade roux that utilizes duck fat instead of oil, allowing the flavors of the dish to be layered over just a few hours of low-heat cooking.  The result is a dish that is easy to make and super savory and filling.

Easy Duck and Sausage Gumbo

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup duck fat rendered from the breast skin
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of yellow onion, diced
• 3/4 cup green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 pound Andouille sausage (or your favorite smoked sausage), sliced
• 4-6 wild duck breast fillets with the skin on (depending on species/size of duck)
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon filé powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 6–8 cups cooked warm white rice

Directions

1.  Sauté the sausage in a large, heavy cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until browned.  Once the sausage is browned remove it to a plate and mop up most of the grease that it has released from the pan with a clean towel.  The resulting pan should have a very thin layer of grease on the bottom.

2. Add the duck skin side down and cook until the skin starts to become crisp and most of the fat has rendered from the skin (about 10-15 minutes).  Flip breasts, cook another 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and set them aside on a cutting board, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

3. Reduce heat to low, remove all but ½ cup of the duck fat from the pan and add the flour, stirring constantly until it forms a roux approximately the color and thickness of light peanut butter.

4. Add the onion, pepper and garlic to the roux and cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring frequently.

5. While the vegetables are cooking dice the duck breasts on a cutting board.

6. Once the vegetables are soft add duck and sausage to the roux mixture, then stir in the file powder, paprika, salt and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until duck is very tender, about 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

7. Once duck is tender, stir in shrimp, thyme, and parsley. Cook until shrimp is pink, about 4 to 6 minutes more. Mound about 3/4 cup rice in bowls, ladle the gumbo over it, and serve.