This is the best burrito you will ever taste in your entire life, and that’s no exaggeration. To “confit” is to preserve the duck meat by first curing it in salt, then cooking and storing it in its own fat. This is one of those things that I eat only on occasion, for obvious reasons, but look forward to tremendously. Take into consideration that the duck must be prepared a day ahead—but believe me, it’s worth the extra effort. (You could also buy duck confit already made to cut the prep time way down.) I must confess to you that, on occasion, I’ve used lard from a local butcher when I don’t have enough duck fat (which I buy at Whole Foods), with the response from my uninformed family usually being, “Marcela, the duck tastes different today. It tastes . . . better.”
Ingredients
serves 6 to 8
Step 1
Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of the salt over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish (or any container large enough to hold the duck pieces snugly in a single layer). Scatter half of the garlic, shallots, thyme, and rosemary in the dish. Arrange the duck pieces, skin side up, on top of the salt mixture. Then sprinkle the duck with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, thyme, and rosemary and a little black pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 day.
Step 2
Place the duck fat in a medium-size heavy saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until completely rendered.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 225°F.
Step 4
Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator. Pick off and reserve the garlic cloves. Using cold running water, rinse the duck pieces (discarding the shallots, thyme, and rosemary) and pat them dry. Arrange the duck pieces and the reserved garlic cloves in a single snug layer in a large, wide ovenproof pot. Pour the melted fat over the duck (the pieces should be covered by fat) and place in the oven. Cook, uncovered, for 2 1/2 hours, or until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone.
Step 5
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Then remove the duck pieces from the fat. (Cool the fat completely, then cover and refrigerate for another use.) Remove all of the meat from the bones, and discard the skin and bones. Shred the duck meat. (Duck confit will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. To store, return the shredded duck to the fat, cool completely, and then refrigerate. To reheat, stir the shredded duck in its fat over medium heat until the fat melts completely. Cool slightly. Remove the shredded duck from the fat.)
Step 6
Place 1 tortilla on a work surface. Spoon a generous amount of shredded duck confit down the center, and sprinkle some scallions on top. Roll up like a soft taco, into a cylinder. Trim the edges and cut the burrito in half crosswise. Cut the halves on the diagonal, and arrange them standing upright, on a platter. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, duck confit, and scallions. Serve with the tomatillo-cilantro salsa for dipping.
