Duck Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 4 duck breasts
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons duck fat
• 4 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separate
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 to 3 small, hot chiles, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 1 cup peas, fresh or thawed
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Score the skin of the duck breasts (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern, making the cross-hatches about 1/2 inch across; this helps the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Salt the meat well on both sides, then let it stand on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes. It is far easier to control the internal temperature with a room-temperature breast than an ice-cold one.
2. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Put oil into a skillet. Don’t use non-stick pans, as they don’t allow you to sear meat as well as steel or cast iron. Lay the breasts skin side down and use them to smear the oil all over the surface of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Yes, you read that right: Don’t preheat the pan. You want as much fat to render out as possible, so start with a cool pan.
3. Sear on the skin side about 5 minutes. When the skin has seized up and is nicely browned turn over and cook another 3-4 minutes. This should leave you with medium cooked breasts. Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board, skin side up. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and chop into one inch cubes. Set aside.
4. To the same skillet, reheat the duck fat over very hot heat. Add the carrots and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chiles and the white part of the scallions. Stir fry about 30 seconds.
5. Add the duck meat and heat through. Add the rice and peas and stir fry 2 minutes. Push everything to one side of the wok and pour in the beaten egg. Stir it until it sets, then stir fry it into the rest of the rice. This helps keep it in largish, recognizable pieces.
6. Let the stir fry sit for 1 minute without touching it. You want to develop some browning and crispiness on the bottom. After the minute has elapsed, pour the soy sauce and sesame oil in around the edges of the rice, then mix well. Turn off the heat and top with greens of the scallions.