Welcome to my Oscars’ Countdown! The past few years, I’ve done a tasting menu the night of the Oscars where I make as many installations as there are Best Picture Nominees. It all started as an idea in 2019, the morning of the Oscars, when I was nursing a hangover at a diner. I hastily scrambled during the day to buy all of the ingredients and make 8 different things that night, without ever watching one of the movies. Since 2020, I’ve made it my task to watch each nominee before coming up with a respective culinary offering. This year, though, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of posting everything the night of the big show, I’m going to lead up with daily posts, as well as two final posts on Sunday.
If you’ve not yet seen this movie, it is full of dread and misery. Along with the battle-induced suffering of the soldiers, you also see that supplies, mainly that of food, were hard to come by at the front, and even at the outposts which served as respite for the battle-weary soldier. When they weren’t storming the front lines, you'd find the main characters trying to steal a French local’s geese and eggs. While feasting upon one said stolen goose, you could see the desperate joy in their eyes, not solely for the food, but for a semblance of their now-lost normalcy. At one point in the movie, with the war about to come to a truce, one of the characters fantasized about getting home for Christmas and having a feast of roast “goose [and] red cabbage”, along with some potatoes. So, here, I present my take on the homecoming meal he never got to enjoy.
Roast Duck, Baby Potatoes, and Red Cabbage
Cabbage
½ head of red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
Duck Fat Fried Potatoes
~1 lb baby potatoes
¼ cup duck fat
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
Rosemary
Thyme
Duck
Duck breast
2 tbsp duck fat
Bring a pot of water to a boil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in a pot, over medium heat, and add in the shredded cabbage with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage just begins to lose its stiffness.
Sprinkle on the sugar and stir to combine. Add in the vinegar and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 40 mins, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning at the end, as you will need a little extra salt and some black pepper. Reserve.
Once the water comes to a boil, salt the water and drop in the potatoes. Cook for 12 minutes, then drain. Slice in half and hold until the duck has been transferred to the oven.
Once the oven comes to temperature, melt 2 tbsp duck fat in a cast iron skillet (or heavy-bottomed sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, score the duck skin/fat and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Once the fat in the skillet has melted, place the breast skin-side down and cook for 4-5 minutes until the exterior is crispy and golden brown.
Flip the duck, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 2 more minutes. Baste the top with some rendered fat, then transfer to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, until the duck registers 125. Be sure to baste the duck, with the rendering fat, midway through and after the roast. Remove the duck from the skillet and place on a rack to rest for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, once you have placed the duck in the oven, finish the potatoes by placing an empty skillet over medium heat. Add in the ¼ cup of duck fat, 2 garlic cloves and some sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Once the fat has rendered, add in the potatoes, (sliced-side down) and continue to cook until golden brown. Be sure to remove the garlic once both sides have just browned.
When the cut side is fried to your liking, flip the potatoes and increase the heat to medium-high. Meanwhile, mince some more fresh rosemary and time. After the skins have lightly browned, 2-3 mins, remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss. Add in some more salt and the chopped herbs and toss to coat once more.
To plate, slice the duck breast and divide among two plates. Add the potatoes, and use tongs (or a slotted spoon) to serve the braised cabbage.
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