Smoked Duck and Sausage Gumbo

I’m really trying hard to clear out stuff from my freezer.  It doesn’t help that I keep buying new ingredients, I know, but I still try.  I had a few smoked duck breasts sitting at the bottom of my freezer for ages, and I knew I had to make something that would do them justice.  I’ve used them in risotto before, and considered using them in aglio olio.  But I wanted to use them all up in one go, so I decided on this gumbo recipe I found on Saveur.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when making this.  The ingredients looked simple enough, and given the rather tedious step of making a dark roux, I went on with it hoping it wasn’t for nothing.  When I finally tried it, served over steaming hot white rice, I was so pleasantly surprised.  The flavor was rich and dark and smoky and went so well with the plain rice.  All of us went for seconds.

The original recipe made a lot, so I halved the recipe and used ingredients I had on hand (and actually available in KL/Malaysia).  I couldn’t find mesquite seasoning anywhere, and making your own still seems like a pain, so I used barbecue seasoning instead.  The goal of this recipe is to create as much of that wonderful smoky flavor as possible, so do not sub that smoked paprika with sweet or hot (all three offer quite different flavors anyway), definitely use smoked duck instead of fresh, and find some good quality smoked sausages.  I made the mistake of using cheapo “smoked” sausages (see pic below), and was rather disappointed by the really meh texture, which resembled fishballs instead of meat and gristle.  The next time I make this (and I definitely will), I’ll use Victoria Crest’s smoked chicken sausages instead, which is available at the more upmarket grocers like B.I.G. and Village Grocer.  I’ll also be making the potato salad as well, which I hear is excellent when paired with this gumbo.

Try it out! Well worth the effort.

Smoked Duck and Sausage Gumbo

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup cooking oil OR duck fat
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 3/4 teaspoons barbecue seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 2 chicken stock cubes, diluted in 1 litre hot water OR 4 cups homemade chicken stock OR duck stock
• 3 pieces (about 750 grams) smoked duck breast, cut into 1 by 2-inch strips, about 1/2 inch thick
• 400 grams smoked chicken sausage or andouille sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick on an angle
• Cooked white rice, for serving, recipe follows
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

Directions

Make a dark roux.  In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil or fat.

Sprinkle in the flour, always stirring, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the edges and sides of the pan, until the roux turns the color of milk chocolate, 30 to 40 minutes.

Add the black pepper, garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, barbeque seasoning, and cayenne.

Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium.  Add the duck and sausages and cook, skimming occasionally, until the sausages are cooked through and gumbo is thickened, about 30 minutes.

Garnish with the chopped green onions.  Serve with rice, or best enjoyed with Prejean’s Potato Salad.

White Rice

• 2 cups long grain basmathi rice
• 3 cups water OR chicken stock OR duck stock, adjust liquid depending on your rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves

Add all the ingredients into your rice cooker pot and cook, until done. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

If not using a rice cooker, add all the ingredients into a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, undisturbed, until all the liquid has been absorbed, 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, 10 minutes.