Recipe: Wild Duck Confit with Hash Browns, Chimichurri, and Fried Egg   

Chimichurri

Ingredients

- 1 cup of Italian parsley, chopped fine
- ½  cup dried oregano  
- ¼  cup water 
- ¼  cup red wine vinegar 
- ½ cup olive oil  
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper 
- 1 teaspoon salt 

Steps: Mix the oregano with the water and salt for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Reserve in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.  

Wild Duck Confit

Ingredients

- 1 whole wild duck, plucked and quartered if convenient
- 1 gallon olive oil  
- 3 cloves garlic 
- 1 sprig thyme   

Steps:

1. Season the duck with salt and pepper and let it rest outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Place the whole duck, the garlic cloves, and the thyme inside a dutch oven and cover with olive oil. Set to low heat (~190-200 degrees F) and cook for 3 hours. 
3. Carefully remove the duck from the oil. Let it rest on a cooling wire rack for 20 minutes.
4. Shred the duck’s meat and reserve.  

Hash Browns

Ingredients:

- 4 Yukon potatoes 
- ½ cup clarified butter 
- Salt 
- Pepper
- Butter 

Steps:

1. Peel the potatoes and finely grate them into water. Squeeze as much starch from the  potatoes as possible and place into a bowl.  
2. Mix the potatoes with the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper.  
3. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  
4. Using your hands, make small balls with the potatoes. Once the oil is hot, cook the potatoes by placing them into the skillet and smashing them down with a spatula. 
5. Cook on both sides until golden brown.  
6. Place the hash browns on a baking sheet and place them in a warm oven at a low temperature until ready to serve.

To serve:

In a saucepan, reheat the reserved duck with two tablespoons of oil used to make the confit. Fry an egg using your preferred method. Plate the hash brown and arrange the duck confit on top, seasoning with chimichurri and covering with your egg.

About the Chef
Stefano Mastracchio splits time between José Ignacio, Uruguay and Montauk, New York, where he explores Latin American and Asian cuisine with knowledge and experience built from a career of working in great restaurants around the world. Stefano has worked with renowned chefs such as Francis Mallmann, Frank Castronovo, and Frank Falcinelli doing catering, events, cooking lessons, and coordinating filming productions, with a particular interest in woodfire techniques. For the last six years, Stefano has been working and leading different operations with Fernando Trocca, including in Jose Ignacio, Buenos Aires, Manhattan, Montauk, and London.