Pasta with Slow Roasted Duck

Guest contributor Hank Shaw of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook shares one of his favorite pasta dishes. Sensuous and savory, this simple pasta and duck recipe is perfect for a romantic dinner. ~Elise

This is one of my favorite things to do with duck confit or the easier, slow-roasted duck version of it. This is a sumptuous pasta dish that has its origins in old Venice, where it was done with the Italian version of preserved duck. Despite this, it is an easy dish to make – the only tricky part is getting the garlic browned but not burned.

Traditionally this is served with tagliatelle, a long, flat pasta both wider and thinner than the more familiar linguine. Could you use another shape? You bet. Don’t go too thin or too thick – angel hair or ziti aren’t right for this dish.

Pasta with Slow Roasted Duck Recipe

Make sure you’ve got everything ready before you start, as this dish comes together fast. Have the water boiling, and give it plenty of salt; you want it to taste of the sea. If you do this right, both the sauce and the pasta will be done at the same time.

Ingredients

• 1 pound tagliatelle pasta
• 1 or 2 slow-roasted duck legs*
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-2 tablespoons duck fat
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon zest
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

*To slow roast raw duck legs, first pat them dry. Prick skin all over with needle to help render out fat. Salt all over generously. Place skin side up in a 300°F oven in a casserole dish just small enough to fit them without overlapping. Cook for about 90 minutes or until the skin starts pulling away from the bones and getting crispy. Turn up the heat to 375°F for 15 minutes until duck starts to get light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

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