Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes (Pommes de Terre Sarladaises)

Known as “Pommes de Terre Sarladaises”, this side dish of potatoes cooked in duck fat is an absolute classic of south-western French cooking. It features potato slices seared in duck fat and finished with garlic and fresh parsley. It is a very simple recipe but with big flavors – thanks to the duck fat. The potatoes are tender on the inside, extra crisp on the outside and have an incomparably luscious and nutty taste.

This recipe of “Pommes de Terre Sarladaises” is named after Sarlat, a small medieval town nested in the Périgord Noir, in the Aquitaine Region. Using and cooking with duck fat is very common in this region of France, which has a delicious duck-centric cooking repertoire, including the canonical Cassoulet (a recipe that you can find in my cookbook). And if you order any meat in a restaurant when visiting this area, there is a strong chance you will be served these Pommes de Terre Sarladaises on the side. 

With just four ingredients: potatoes, duck fat, garlic and parsley, this recipe is easy to recreate in your kitchen and probably one of the best ways to get accustomed with cooking with duck fat.

Recommended Equipment: 

• Use a cast-iron or heavy bottom skillet, like this one. It retains heat better and will create the proper crispness and char on the potatoes.
• Heat-resistant spatula.
• Mandoline Slicer.

Cooking instructions:

• Choose waxy potatoes such as Yukon gold, New Potatoes, Fingerlings or Red Bliss. These varieties have less starch, which means they hold their shape better when cooked.
• Duck fat, while harder to find in the US/Canada up until a few years ago, is becoming more and more common in supermarkets. You can find it chilled (often in plastic containers) or sold in jars. You can also purchase a few brands online, such Rougie and Cooks & Co. And if you really can’t get your hands on duck fat, you can substitute with ghee or clarified butter.
• My recipe for these Pommes de Terre Sarladaises is on the “lighter” side. I like to use no more than 4 tablespoons of duck fat, whereas most recipes will use at least ½ cup. In my opinion, 4 tbsp is enough, but if you feel like using more duck fat, feel free to try it out.

I hope you’ll love this recipe of Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes (Pommes de Terre Sarladaises) as much as I do! Serve it as a side with Braised Chicken thighs or Pork chops in mushroom sauce. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

You may also like:

• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts in Grape Sauce 
• Swiss Chard Pancakes
• French-style Potato Salad
• Provencal Eggplant Gratin

Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes (Pommes de Terre Sarladaises)

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 people Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 25M calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.4/5

( 7 voted )

Ingredients

1.5 lbs (about 700g) waxy potatoes
½ lemon
4 tbsp (47g) duck fat
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely
½ bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Make sure your read the cooking notes (above) before you start. 

Step 1 - Prepare a large bowl of water with the juice of ½ a lemon (you can also place the ½ lemon in the bowl). Peel the potatoes and place them in the lemony water as you go, so they don’t brown/oxidize. Slice the potatoes into 1/5-inch (about 5mm) slices, by hand or using a mandolin. Rinse the potato coins in a colander and pat-dry very thoroughly (using a kitchen towel or paper towel).

Step 2 -Place 2 tablespoons of duck fat in a skillet and heat up over medium heat. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly softened.

Step 3 -Remove the lid/foil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, parsley and 2 remaining tablespoons of duck fat. Toss to coat and continue cooking the potatoes for about 5 minutes without disturbing, so they brown underneath. You can adjust the temperature (higher/lower) if the potatoes don’t brown enough or start to burn. Using a spatula, gently flip the potatoes and continue cooking without disturbing until browned on the other side.

Step 4 -You can continue cooking 5 to 10 more minutes, flipping the potatoes occasionally, until they are browned and crisp to your liking. Serve immediately.

Did you make this recipe?

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