DUCK CARNITAS TACOS

Serves 2 Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Bit of a mess to prepare, but delicious.

2 duck legs (about 1

pound each)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly

ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups milk

2 garlic cloves, peeled and

kept whole

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange, cut into eighths 4 radishes, sliced into

rounds

1 small white onion, sliced

into rings

1 cup coarsely chopped

fresh cilantro

4 (or 8 if you prefer a double layer) small, soft corn tortillas Salsa, optional

1. Roast: Heat oven to

325 degrees. Settle duck legs in a Dutch oven with a snug fit. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in milk. Toss in garlic cloves, cinnamon stick (make sure it isn’t floating), and orange wedges. Cover and slide into oven. Roast until duck is very tender, 2 hours. Uncover and roast until skin turns beautifully crisp, about 40 minutes.

2. Portion: Pull out duck legs. When cool, discard the odd and possibly curdled contents of the pan. Pull off those crisp skins. Break up meat into bite-size chunks (this should be easy work). Discard bones and any lumps of fat.

3. Crisp: Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Lay in skins, crisp side up, and sizzle 1-2 minutes, to crisp the underside and render any clinging fat. Shift skins to a cutting board and slice to slivers (like bacon, only better). Slide the meat chunks into the pan and brown,

1-2 minutes. Heap duck on a platter, and scatter on shards.

4. Serve: Add the radishes, onion and cilantro to the platter. Heat tortillas (wrap in a clean, damp kitchen cloth and zap 2 minutes) to serve alongside, with the salsa. Enjoy.

CHRIS WALKER / CHICAGO TRIBUNE / TNS Radish, onion and cilantro top duck carnitas tacos, with the meat crisped up in a skillet after slow and low roasting.