A Day for Caramel Potatoes Crisped in Duck Fat, With Prunes Recipe

Ingredients

• Caramel
• Potatoes Crisped in Duck Fat with Prunes
• 2¼ pounds
• russet potatoes
• ½ tsp sea salt
• or kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Set the oven at
• 475 degrees. Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces about 1½ inch
• squared. Rinse them under cold water and then place them in a large pot
• filled with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and then simmer them
• for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and then shake them in a colander
• to rough up their edges a bit and drain off the excess water.
• In a rimmed
• baking sheet or sheet pan, scoop in the duck fat and heat it up in the oven
• until it just starts to smoke (5 to 8 minutes). Carefully take the pan out of
• the oven and gently toss in the potatoes. Place the pan back in the oven
• (on the highest rack) and cook the potatoes for 50 to 65 minutes, or until they
• are golden and have turned crunchy; during the cooking, turn the potatoes
• occasionally with a spatula to ensure even coloring.
• When the
• potatoes look just about ready (this was at about the 50 minute mark for me),
• take out the sheet pan and—if the potatoes still contain a good deal of
• fat—carefully tip the pan to remove the excess (I did not have to do this:
• there was barely any fat left sitting in the pan). Add ½ tsp of salt and
• the prunes, toss gently, and return the potatoes to the oven for about 5 more
• minutes.
• During this
• time, make the caramel by placing the sugar in a medium saucepan over low
• heat. Without stirring, cook the sugar until it turns into a liquid and
• becomes a rich caramel color (you can swirl the pan occasionally, if needed, if
• the sugar isn’t caramelizing evenly). Remove the pan from the heat at
• once and quickly pour in the ice water. (Be careful it doesn’t spatter on you:
• don’t hold the pan too close). (You’ll want to have the ice water ready,
• so place some ice cubes in water while you heat the sugar and keep a measuring
• spoon nearby.) Immediately return the pan to the heat and whisk to dissolve any
View Full Recipe at A Plym by Any Other Name