My sous chef and I were in the mood for a decadent meal the other day, and since we had two duck legs/thighs from the last time we broke down a duck, and the weather was perfect for grilling, this is what we came up with. The end result was a grilled duck leg/thigh with crispy skin and a creamy mushroomy gravy…and no leftovers!
We served our duck with Grilled Fennel and Butter Fried Morels. Other sides that would pair nicely would be mashed potatoes, Mushroom Risotto, Asparagus and Morels in Butter, a Grilled Veggie Pillow, or Grilled Romaine Hearts.
Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Duck Leg and Thigh. See our post on “How to Break Down a Duck” if you’re working with a whole duck.
- Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 8 Ounces Water from rehydrating morels (You can also use mushroom stock)
- A few tablespoons of Milk
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Optional: Chives as garnish
Method:
- Slice cross-hatches into your duck skin to allow for fat rendering during cooking. Sprinkle a little salt on both sides of your duck legs.
- Heat your grill to medium low, and when it’s ready, place your duck legs on skin side down.
- Grill for about 7-8 minutes to allow the fat to render and the skin to crisp up.
- Flip your duck legs, and grill for another 10-15 minutes (or until your meat reaches an internal cooked temperature of 165 degrees F).
- As your duck finishes on the grill, melt some butter in a saucepan, and when it’s melted, add your flour. Whisk to combine, and allow to cook for a minute or so.
- Pour in your mushroom stock/rehydrated morel liquid and a little milk while whisking.
- Add some black pepper and salt into your sauce, and continue to whisk while it thickens.
- When your duck is fully cooked, and your sauce reaches your desired consistency, plate, devour, and enjoy!
Nice recipe, that. It brought back a memory to share with you. Morels are in season now, as one of the only mushrooms not to be harvested in the fall, but in spring. There is a delicious variation to your morels, French of course, that I made once, and it would go perfectly with your duck. Whether you have fresh or reconstituted morels, they are filled with a mixture of duck, goose, or chicken livers, some cold cream, a swig of cognac, salt, pepper, and for the wholly decadent, truffles (I prefer the white Alba winter truffles, which are the most aromatic I’ve ever tasted). But the recipe works fine without them. The mixture should be cooked softly until the liver is done. All you have to do is use an immersion blender and mix your ingredients really fine, use a pastry spatula to pass it through a fine sieve and put into a plastic bag to fill the morels. If your morels are fresh you should pre-cook them as well (just saute them in butter for a few minutes to soften and cook them. Then fill and add to the duck. If you have any liver left over, you can use it as a base for a sauce.
Thank you for the suggestion! I am going to have to do that…and I’ve got some duck and goose liver in the freezer! That sounds SO good!