I completely understand. You looked at Raj’s golden glossy duck and completely missed the sides on that plate. I bet you didn’t even notice there was a plate under that savory goodness. Those plates were my grandmothers. I have a setting for 8. Well 8ish, many have broken over the years. Was nice to have an excuse to pull them out of the case and use them. But of course I knew the duck would, and rightly so, upstage the china. You could probably put it on a piece of cardboard covered in tinfoil and it would still look gourmet.
When I first jumped into my Paleo challenge I reached out to a good friend. She and her boyfriend had been eating Paleo for a few months. I had some questions. She has been an amazing source of support and information, Thank you V, you are amazing, and I am so proud of you. She recommended I purchase “Practical Paleo.” What a resource starting out! I would page thru the glossy pictures picking out the things I wanted to try. I had never had roast duck before, but I love rosemary, and I had pounds of fresh frozen cherries. Raj was in for the duck adventure, and he sourced the bird. It was a life changer. I agree: duck is better than bacon.
I think herbs are widely underused, it is such an easy way to add or change the flavor of the food. I went to a “Welcome to Spring” party with my Bestie last Sunday. They had snacks, talked about Chinese medicine, detoxing and how to adjust physically to the changing season. Rosemary was one of the recommended herbs for winter to spring transitions. Bonus!
Okay, the sides:
Trim just the cap off your bulb to let the oil permeate the clove.
Brussels sprouts are good in duck fat!
Roasted Garlic Faux-tatoes
Description
Aromatic and buttery, you will forget it’s not potatoes!
Ingredients
- 2 Bulbs of Garlic (maybe 3)
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil)
- 1 Head of Cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp Ghee or Grass fed Butter
- 2 Tbsp Dehydrated Onions
- 2 Tbsp Chives
- Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
Roasting The Garlic!
- Take garlic bulbs, slice the top off, but leave the skin. There should be a little of each clove open at the top.
- This recipe is dependant on taste, But be prepared, and roast extra for your roommate, the neighbour, strangers walking past your house, because once you fill the building with that rich roasted garlic smell you’ll have people “stopping in”
- Pour a generous amount of oil over your bulbs
- Place in the oven and let the roasting magic happen
- The lower and slower you can roast the garlic the better, 300F for an Hour is good, but 200F for 2 is better, just depends on how much time you have
Mashed Faux-tatoes
- Grate or Dice the Cauliflower head into small pieces, Put into a medium sized pot and cover with water
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer another 6-8 min
- Test with a fork if it gives way it is ready, drain well
- The more water you can get out the better,
- Put back into the pot and whip with a hand mixer
- Add the Roasted Garlic, once cooled you can squeeze it from the bottom and it pops out. Discard the skin but keep that oil! (We used it to roast other Veggies) continue to whip
- Slowly add in the Ghee or Butter until its combined and the garlic is smoothly blended into the Cauliflower
- Scoop into a serving dish or right onto your plate! Sprinkle Dehydrated Onions and Chives over top.
- Add Salt and Pepper to taste
- Category: side
Roasted Vegetables in Duck Fat
Description
Easy and Delicious way to enjoy colourful Winter Veggies and Tubers
Ingredients
This is entirely up to your preference We used:
- 1/2 Turnip
- 3 Carrots
- 2 Beets
- 8–10 Pearl Onions
- 1 Parsnip
- 1 Small Butternut squash
- 20 Brussels Sprouts
- 1 Tbsp Duck Fat (or the Roasted Garlic oil leftover)
Instructions
- Wash and Peel all veggies, (Peelings, ends and seeds can all be used for soup stock, keep these in a pot or plastic bag)
- Cut into Bite size Pieces
- Arrange in a casserole or oven safe dish
- Drizzle the Duck Fat (or oil) over the veggies, and stir to coat
- Cover and Roast at 300F for 35 min
- Stir and put back in the oven uncovered for 10-15 min
Notes
The Duck fat adds a rich savoury flavour, but feel free to play with this, add Garlic cloves or a few stalks of your favourite herb!
- Category: side
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