Chinese roasted duck with "boracho" mung beans and fries

We actually cooked this a while back, but I never got around to publishing it.  The duck was great, and If you've not had french fries in duck fat, you need to.  Prep was really straight forward, just wash the duck and rub with chinese barbeque spices, allow to sit overnight, and roast.  I went with the quicker roasting method of 425 degrees for 45 minutes breast up, then rotate to breast down for another 45 minutes.  You'll need to prick the skin with a sharp knife to allow the duck fat to drain off as the duck roasts.  Failure to do so will result in a greasy bird, and there's a lot you can do with the duck fat.

Another attempt at fusion cooking,  "boracho" mung beans.  I love a good bowl of boracho beans.  Instead of pintos, though, I thought mung beans would be a better match to the chinese flavors of the roasted duck.

I was surprised how much water these little guys soak up.

Some of the duck fat made these potatoes amazing

I lightly salted the gizzard, liver, and heart of the duck, and they went great with the ribeyes we had while the duck marinated. DO NOT OVERCOOK! cooked just done, they're amazing.  Cooked too far, the gizzard is un-chewable, the liver is powdery, and the heart is stringy.

 

Waste not, and you get some tasty treats!  

 The remainder of the duck fat was used to re-fry the leftover mung beans.  Some of the best I've ever had.  Made AWESOME bean and cheese tacos, and I thought the refried beans tasted better with the duck than the boracho beans did.

Chef's Salad with Trout Skin "Bacon"

Okay, I know this goes way into some peoples' weird zone, but I think you should try it anyway.
We got a donation of lake trout from a friend, and quick cured it with salt and sugar.  Fried skin side down first, the skin became crispy, and actually pulled right off the fillets like a shingle after they were flipped.  I love the skin, Ruth hates it, so instead of wasting it, I cut it into slices, and topped a salad with it.  Dare you to try it next time you've got some fresh fish.

Ultimate veggie stir fry

Fresh Veggies are finally available again!  Being so remote, we've gained an appreciation for how much we take fresh fruits and vegetables for granted.  This was a reactionary recipe that we came up with after a long, hard winter with basically not much but meat and potatoes to eat.

2 medium onions
1 cup baby carrots
1 stalk celery
1 small head red cabbage
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 dried wood ear mushrooms
4 yuba sticks, re-hydrated
2 bunches broccoli
garlic salt, to taste
soy sauce, to taste
oyster sauce, to taste

 Add the veggies in order from hard to soft, reserving the cabbage for last.  Stir fry over high heat, and season with garlic salt, soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste.  It was loaded with flavor, and a welcome change from the colon clogging past 5 months.