Duck Confit, Buttermilk Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens with Pancetta June 4, 2008

Coming clean and being public about just what I need to use up just may help to motivate a speediness that’s been absent in my kitchen. You already know about the poppy seeds that’s been hanging out in the fridge for two years. I still have about more than about cup and a half to use up after the lemony cupcakes. In the freezer I have a variety of grated cheese leftover from the grilled cheese days, six confited duck legs from way back, and frozen vegetables. In the pantry I have nuts and nut oils I should definitely step to using up before they go rancid. It’s very dark and packed in the pantry. I’ll have to assess as I move along.

For today though I concentrated on using up the grated cheeses (consisting of cheddar, truffled Italian cheese and gruyere) and just two of the duck confit legs. I have a few more ideas I want to try with the duck so I’m saving the others. Well I never really freeze my cheeses but since I had such an abundance left after the whole grilled cheese invitational thing I threw them into the big chill to worry later. It was either that or bags of moldy cheese and me left feeling very guilty.

I thought I would give the duck confit a southern twist this time around by pairing it with creamy mac & cheese and collard greens. The mac & cheese was super easy. I cooked up the ridged elbow macaroni in a big pot of salted water and when they were cooked, drained them and added them to a bowl with all the grated cheeses. I added some buttermilk until everything looked well moistened and seasoned it with salt and black pepper. I had to buy more cheddar to support the cheese part of this dish but at least out with the old and in with the new. I let the pasta soak up the liquid for a few minutes then poured the whole mixture into a well buttered baking dish and crumbled over Trader Joe’s delicious cornbread over the top along with grated parmigiano reggiano. I drizzled the top with olive oil and popped the dish into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes finishing it with a quick broil for extra browning on top. This is the easiest mac & cheese recipe ever. I guess because it’s not really a recipe at all. Just eyeball everything. I should have put in more cheddar though!

The collard greens likewise were super easy. I rendered pancetta in olive oil then added a smashed garlic to the pot along with a good pinch of red pepper flakes. I added sliced collard greens to the pot with a small cup of water and covered and cooked it over low heat until the mac n cheese was done. I finished it with a light squeeze of lemon juice. Since the duck was all ready to go this was a super easy meal. All I had to do was heat it up in a super hot oven to crisp up the skin. Feeling pressured to use up duck confit sitting around the freezer is not such a bad thing after all.