Leftover Duck Concoction

I posted in my Christmastime entry that I made Duck with Orange Sauce for my family, using the recipe you find if you click on the link. My husband and I bought a frozen duck for $18 at the same butcher where we found the ox tails and, after thawing it for a few days, I made it again last night. The duck itself is quite easy, but the sauce in that recipe is to die for! Anyway, there was still meat left on the carcass so we stuck it in a ziploc bag in the fridge and I decided to make something with the rest of the meat today. Do not underestimate the usefulness and tastiness of duck fat. This would be best served with a side or on top of mashed potatoes, or perhaps some wild rice.

Ingredients:

Leftover duck meat, trimmed off the carcass, including skin
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
leftover orange sauce

Start off by dropping the butter and olive oil into a frying pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, swirl it around in the pan, then add the onions. Sprinkle salt and sugar on top of that, and mix the onions to coat them in everything. Let them cook on low-medium heat until they begin to turn brown, or caramelize.

Cut all the meat you can off the duck carcass, making sure everything is in bite-sized pieces.

Pick the orange rind out of the orange sauce and throw away. Then add the duck and at least half of the leftover orange sauce (about 1/2 cup or so) to the onions, stirring everything around to mix well. Allow to cook on medium heat another 5-10 minutes.

Serves 2-4 people, depending on whether you put it over rice/potatoes or not.

Lamb Neckbone Stew

Phew! What a holiday week! I haven't made an entry since Christmas Eve, I know, but with all the family here for the holiday I had no time to blog or take photos of the dinner I made for Christmas. Suffice to say some of it didn't come out as I would have hoped, so you're not really missing out. We had ham, duck, maple squash with parsnips, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and my grandmother's baked beans recipe. And yes, if you click on the word duck in that last sentence you will be linked to the recipe I use every year, which is fantastic!
We had a very nice Christmas with my mother, stepfather, aunt and uncle, and my daughter got lots of attention. Now that most of the leftovers have been eaten, I raided the remnants from the freezer. I found a package of lamb neck bones that my husband had thrown into the shopping cart from the discount meat bin a few weeks ago, saying something to the tune of "I'm sure you can make something with these."
So I have! The baby enjoyed sucking on her butterfly toy while I kept an eye on her in the kitchen as I put this together.

Ingredients:

About 1-2 pounds of lamb neck bones (yes, there's meat on these)
3 cups water
4 red potatoes, cubed
4 fat carrots, chopped into rounds
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp dry rosemary
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
2 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch/2 small sprigs of fresh oregano and fresh rosemary, if you have it

Pour water into 7-quart Crock Pot. The next step is up to you; I think it would be easiest to put in all the vegetables (once again, I've taken to not peeling my potatoes to retain the vitamins from the skin), cornstarch and spices and mix them together with a large wooden spoon, then throw the meat in on top and mix it in. If you start it early enough, it would be best to cook on low for 6-8 hours, but if you can't then cook on high for 4 hours and low for the remaining time you have available, hopefully at least 2 hours.
This came out wonderfully tasty, the meat falling off the bones, and was a welcome treat eaten with crescent rolls and a glass of champagne for the new year. Happy New Year, everybody!