How to Make Potted Duck (Rillettes de Canard)

What is Potted Duck?

It’s one of those recipes that I look forward to making every year, when the temperatures start to drop. It’s funny really, because it’s a dish for any season, as far as I’m concerned. And duck is something we can get all year round too.

But, some recipes just taste so much better when you cook them seasonally! And game season generally starts in September here in the UK. Just one of the many reasons I love autumn!

Having grown up in Singapore, the whole seasonal cooking thing still gets me very excited! Even after more than a quarter of a century in the UK!

Following close on the heel of summer time and autumnal fruit and vegetable preserving, is potting, a totally different type of preserving, and in this instance, meat.

Or potted meat, for that matter. Because you could preserve anything this way, chicken, pork, even fish.

Before the advent of refrigeration, food was preserved in so many different ways. It was:

• pickled
• sweetened
• salted and spiced
• buried underground

And sometime in the 16th century, people discovered that meat could be made to last longer if it was “potted up” and covered with a layer of clarified butter.

Potting up meat for the purpose of preserving it, is an old custom in many cultures. See my article on:

Khlea, the Moroccan Preserved Meat

Here, in the UK, and indeed elsewhere in Europe, we’ve been doing it for many centuries. Cooking meat, then potting it up before covering it with a layer of fat became all the rage in the 17th and 18th centuries, and not only did it make the meat and even fish, go further, but it also became a new way of serving up food.

Cooks potted up all sorts of meat: beef, venison, poultry, seafood and parts of the animal like tongue, which was extremely popular with many.

Potted meat is a fantastic starter for anytime of the year, but there is just something so classy about serving these little pots of meat up during the festive season. And the best thing is, despite the fact that they look very impressive, potted meats are very, very simple to make.

Eliza Acton, in her Book of Modern Cookery, published in 1845, says:

Any tender, and well-roasted meat, taken free of fat, skin and gristle, as well as from the dry outsides, will answer for potting admirably, …

In fact, there is no reason why, you can’t make potted meat with any leftover roast. Although here, you would probably have to pulse the meat in a chopper to break it down to a soft, pâté stage. More of this later.

Potted Duck Recipe

All you need is some slow cooked, and well cooked, duck legs, where the meat is meltingly tender. This is how we make potted duck:

1. Marinate and salt the duck overnight
2. Brown some duck legs in a little duck fat (or oil)
3. Cover with white wine (optional) and water and cook for 3-4 hours on the stove (or in the oven)
4. Shred the meat and season (you could even do this in a chopper if you’re feeling lazy)
5. Place in small ramekins or jar, cover with the cooking fat from earlier
6. Place in the fridge overnight and it’s ready to be eaten

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Is Potted Duck (Duck Rillettes) the same as Rillettes de Canard?

Yes. I find the main difference is the method in which the duck is cooked.

• The French like to simmer their duck meat on the stove. And in a whole lot of duck fat and some liquid.
• The Brits like to roast their meat in said duck fat and liquid.

I feel that simmering the meat gives you meat that is just that little bit tender and flavoursome. And that’s the method I use.

Also, I’m only using a fraction of the duck fat generally used when making duck rillettes. Because it doesn’t need it, as far as I’m concerned.

Here is an interesting and enjoyable article on Rillettes de Canard and memories of Canada, from Monika and Petar of TravelWorldOnline.

Quick Potted Duck Recipe

If you are making potted duck with duck meat roasted in the oven, the initial method is similar to making Confit de Canard. So you could, if you really, really must, start with shop bought Duck Confit. I’m sure most supermarkets and many delis will sell them these days.

Then just shred and pot up.

The Ingredients

To make potted duck, you only need a few key players: duck legs, a little duck fat, white wine and Calvados (or any brandy). Everything else falls under seasoning, like salt, pepper and herbs. Let’s take a look at the main ingredients mentioned above.

The Duck

I’m using duck legs, as I get a lot of meat off each leg, and also because I’m a fan. The darker meat gives the best flavour. You could opt for breast meat if you like, it will still be delicious.

Duck Fat

This should be easily found in supermarkets and helps to enhance the flavour of our potted duck. Should you not be able to find it, used unsalted butter. As we’re only using 2 tablespoons, it doesn’t really matter, and butter is always yummy!

White Wine

White wine adds another flavour to our potted meat. Use a dry white wine, something fruity. Don’t do alcohol? Skip it and just use chicken stock.

Calvados

Calvados is a brandy made in Normandy, France, from apples or pears, or both. I am happy to use Calvados or our local Somerset Cider Brandy, made with apples.

Apples and pears are perfect accompaniments to duck meat, so brandy made with either or both is the obvious choice here.

Don’t do alcohol? Omit the brandy and use 2 Tbsp apple juice plus 1/2 teaspoon clear vinegar. But your alcohol free potted duck will need to be refrigerated and consumed within 2 days.

Potted Duck Texture

Speaking of shredding the meat, many people like their rillettes or potted meat to be as smooth as pâté. To that end, they often place it in a food chopper.

The danger here is over processing it and getting a rubbery mix. If you do want to use a chopper for shredding your cooked duck, be sure to use the pulse action.

I much prefer my duck rillettes to have texture, and so I use 2 forks to shred the meat up, and also to “beat in” the seasoning.

Season, Season, Season your Potted Meat

This is perhaps the most crucial part of potting up your meat; the seasoning. You want to be heavy handed with your salt and pepper, as well as the cooking liquid and fat.

You will see from the potted duck recipe here, that I’ve gone for minimal flavours, letting the duck speak (quack?) for itself.

I’ve refrained from the popular French quatre épices (4 spices – which is just pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger), juniper berries, mace, mixed spice, etc. These are spices that you often see being used when making potted meat.

But go ahead and add a pinch here, a pinch there, when you are shredding the duck meat. Just remember to taste as you go along.

The cooking liquid and fat (that the duck legs were cooked in) is where all the flavour is, and is also what is going to keep your meat moist. So be liberal with it.

• Once you’ve taken your duck out of the liquid, you can skim off as much of the fat as possible and set aside in a bowl.
• Then drain the remaining liquid, and throw away all the solids.
• Then add the liquid and fat to the meat as you are shredding and mixing. But be sure to keep enough of the fat to cover your potted up meat.
• If you run out of fat, just top your rillettes de canard with some melted butter. You want fat that will harden in the fridge to create a solid barrier between the meat and air.

Skim off as much of the fat and jelly as possible and store them separately in clean containers, in the fridge. The fat, I would store for up to 1 week, the jelly, no more than 2 days. You could, of course, also freeze both.

Use the duck fat from your rillettes de canard for roasting potatoes or for frying up anything!

The liquid, which will thicken to a jelly like consistency, can be used to flavour soups, sauces and even curries. In fact, if you are making any flavoured rice, couscous or similar starches, add some of the jelly, like you would stock. It’s delicious!

Phew, I think we’ve covered it. Let’s get our aprons on.

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