Duck Fat Recipes: Confit, Potatoes, Fries And Beyond (PHOTOS)

There are a few black and white, cut and dry, universal cooking truths. You must salt your pasta water. Yeasted doughs need warm, still places to rise. Duck fat loves potatoes.

That last one is what we want to talk to you about today. If your fries aren't quite crispy enough, your breakfast potatoes a little pale and limp, your roasted potatoes oily or dry, it's probably because they're missing one thing -- duck fat. We know it sounds kind of crazy, and incredibly indulgent, but once you taste your first duck fat fry, you will become a believer. What makes duck fat so special? It has a high smoke point, so it's perfect for high-heat cooking techniques like frying and roasting. Its texture is very smooth and its flavor is very mild, which means that it enhances, rather than overwhelms whatever it touches. But it's not only about the potato. Duck fat can improve everything from pie crust (TRUTH) to popcorn. Duck fat is so great, it can even make DUCK TASTE BETTER.

Check out some of our favorite duck fat recipes below, and go get yourself some to play with, either from your butcher, local specialty foods store, or the internet.

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