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Slow cooked Goose Leg with Green Lentils

Goose tastes like duck. However, the birds are larger. In this dish I seasoned and seared off the goose leg and then slow cooked it with some stock and a bouquet garni (celery, carrots, parsly and bay leaves wrapped with leek and tied into a bundle) in my insta pot cooker. After it was very tender I removed the goose and the bouquet garni and strained off the cooking liquid. I then sauteed some small diced mire poix and smoked andouille sausage. Added the cooking liquid back and cooked some French green lentils in the liquid. To serve the goose the next day I roasted and the goose in a hot oven to crisp the skin and made gastrique with sugar, and fig balsamic vinegar cooking it down to a light caramel color. Then added little orange juice and whipped in a little diced cold butter. Very delicious quick sauce to offset the rich flavor of the goose leg. I served the reheated lentils, and goose with some slow cooked tomato confit and fresh picked arugula from our late summer garden along with carrots, pearl onions and Brussel sprouts. The dish was hearty and nutritious and tasted very good.

Grilled 21 Day Dry Aged Strip Steak

In the next dish I grilled a premium strip steak and served it with a fresh herb Worcestershire butter along with a medley of vegetables and a delicious Dauphinoise potato side.

Dauphinoise potatoes are a classical potato dish; the name translates to "in the style of the prince". It is a layered potato style casserole that goes very well with steak. In the dish that I prepared here I made it extra special with the addition of a little white truffle butter in each layer. To get a nice clean-cut portion it is best to bake it and then cool it prior to portioning it. Make sure to bake the potatoes until they very soft when pierced with a knife or toothpick. Then uncover the casserole dish and chill. Once cold turn out the potato's and cut into portions, then reheat in the oven topped with a little more grated cheese if desired.

Dauphinoise Potatoes

2 each                                            Idaho Potatoes (peeled)

1 TBL                                                 Minced Garlic

1 TBL                                                 Chopped Parsley

½ cup                                              Heavy Cream

½ cup                                              Grated Parmesan Cheese

TT                                                     Salt, pepper, nutmeg mix (1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1/8 tsp nutmeg)

(optional for a special flavor enhancement- about two teaspoons of white truffle butter in the layers)

Melted Butter and grated parmesan for garnish

1.      Butter gratin baking dish

2.     Spread with a small amount of minced garlic and a small amount of cream

3.     Slice the potatoes 1/8^th inch thick on a mandolin 5 slices at a time

4.     Layer into the dish and cover with cheese, garlic, parsley, heavy cream and spices in alternating layers until full (optional add white truffle butter in the layers).

5.     Cover with buttered piece of parchment paper and then foil

6.     Bake at 325F until potatoes are tender

7.     Cool and refrigerate until set

8.     Remove from the pan and cut into desired shape

9.     Brush with more melted butter and top with cheese and bake until golden brown and serve.

In another strip steak dish, I cast iron seared the Circle M Meats steak sliced it and paired it with a robust flavored wild mushroom risotto. Here is the recipe for preparing the risotto.

Recipe for Wild Mushroom Risotto

Duck Breast and Duck Leg Confit

I prepared this duck dish in two ways. First, I slow cooked the duck legs in their own fat, an ancient way used to preserve the duck meat prior to the age of refrigeration. Famous in Gascony France this dish was actually used by the Romans, some even say the Egyptians cooked like this long before birth of Rome.

The duck legs are first cured over night or longer for larger ducks with salt, sugar, and herbs. After the meat has been cured it is rinsed well and then browned off and slow cooked for hours in rendered duck fat. After the duck is cooked and very tender the meat is removed from the fat and slightly cooled and then the legs are re-covered with the fat for storage. This seals the duck and preserves it for a long time when stored in a cool cave or cellar which was how it was done long ago. The duck legs can then be re-heated by roasting or crisping the skin in the fat. I crisped leg meat skin in the oven brushed with more duck fat.

To prepare the breast I first seasoned it with duck roasting spice (recipe follows) and then scored the skin side and rendered the skin in cast iron pan over medium low heat until crispy. I removed the duck and poured off some of the fat and increased the heat. I gave the other side of the duck breast a quick sear in the pan. Then I proceeded to finish the duck breast in the oven until medium rare (130F). I let the duck breast rest and prepared the sauce with a gastrique with fig balsamic vinegar, and frozen huckle berries, thickened the sauce with a cornstarch slurry and mounted the sauce with some cold diced butter.

 I then sliced duck breast and served it with the confit along with a wild and red rice medley, braised red cabbage, green beans and carrot puree.

Duck Roasting spice

1 TBL        Ground bay leaves

1 TBL        Ground thyme

1 TBL        Ground rubbed sage

½ tsp.      Ground coriander

½ tsp.      Ground mace

2 TbL       Kosher salt or course sea salt

1 TBL        Ground Black Pepper

Blend all together in coffee grinder and store in a sealed jar.