Grilled Duck Salad ▶
Smoky duck slices top salads of dressed greens, mushrooms, and roasted vegetables. Andouille sausage, a popular Louisiana sausage, adds its own smoky notes.
Ingredients
- Domestic Duckling - One, 4 to 5 pound, dressed and cleaned
- Kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
- Cracked black pepper - 1 tablespoon
- Garlic - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Leek - 1, sliced into strips
- White Onion (Vidalia) - 1 mild, sliced
- Shallots - 1/2 cup, peeled, left whole
- Mixed wild mushroom caps - 3 cups, whole
- Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
- Rice Wine Vinegar - 1/4 cup
- Andouille Sausage - 1/4 pound (alt. other spicy smoked sausage)
- Mixed lettuces, such as radicchio, endive, and Bibb - 1/4 pound
Instructions
Rinse the duckling inside and out and pat dry. Trim all loose fat from around the inner cavity as well as the neck of the duck. Pierce the duck skin in several places with a large fork. Season the duck with kosher salt, cracked pepper, and garlic. Place the duck, breast side up, in a roast holder placed inside a drip pan.
Light a large quantity of charcoal briquettes in a large, covered charcoal grill and let the coals burn until they are covered with light ash. Prepare for indirect cooking by forming the coals into a circle around the perimeter of the grill. Place the cooking grill on top. Put the duck, in its drip pan, in the center of the cooking grate. Cover, leaving the ventilation holes open (adjust the heat of the fire by opening and closing these holes). Cook 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear.
Marinate the leeks, onions, shallots, and mushrooms with a pinch of salt, pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure all vegetables are evenly coated. Halfway through the cooking time for the duck, spread marinated vegetables around the duck and continue to cook. Place the andouille sausage on the cooking grate for the last 25 to 30 minutes.
To serve: Remove the duck breasts, then the legs. Thinly slice the breast meat. Place the roasted vegetables in a large salad bowl, add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup of rice wine vinegar, and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again.
Divide the greens among the serving plates. Arrange the roasted vegetables, duck breast slices, and grilled sausage slices around the edges of the plates. Lay a duck leg and thigh over the greens on each.
